


Star Fox: A Helping Hand

by WelchAndTheMachine



Category: Star Fox Series
Genre: Abuse, Family, Gay, Hope, Love, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-09
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-12 22:55:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 56,796
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28643304
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WelchAndTheMachine/pseuds/WelchAndTheMachine
Summary: After waking up in an unknown prison after being captured by Wolf O'Donnell, Marcus McCloud wasn't sure what he could do. That was, until, the most unlikely ally would come along to save him and possibly start something more.
Relationships: Marcus McCloud/OC
Comments: 19
Kudos: 10





	1. His Son

**Author's Note:**

> This is literally something I had an idea for and just kind of spat it out in literally under an hour. I have another piece I'm working on, but this one came into my head and I just went with it. Like with any of my works, I'm open to suggestions and constructive criticism.

He awoke slowly in an unfamiliar place. His entire body hurt, as if he was hit with a punch all over. It was his neck that hurt the worst. Slowly, he rose from his bed and opened his eyes. In front of him was a red shield with another room adjacent from the one he was in. It was easy to recognize as a cell. And the reason why his neck hurt so much was because the pillow he was given was literally see-through. 

“Where the hell am I?” The blue vulpine mumbled to himself.

He looked across the hall and saw an elderly bat in the cell. The man hung from the ceiling with his feet and seemed to be sleeping. Quickly, the young man rushed to the shield. “Hey!” He yelled. “W-where am I?”  
  
Slowly, the bat opened an eye. “You’re awake… didn’t think you would after what Wolf did to ya.”  
  
“Wolf.” He growled.

“What the hell did you do to get Wolf pissed.”  
  
“Be the son of Fox McCloud is what.” 

Both eyes snapped open. “No shit?”  
  
The son nodded. “No shit.”  
  
“So you’re Marcus McCloud, right?”  
  
“Yeah, that’s me.”

The bat laughed softly and turned himself around, explaining that he doesn’t want Wolf to hurt him more than he already has. Talking to Marcus would get him punished, so he said. He didn’t even give him his name. 

Being neglected in an unknown environment only angered the teen, who punched the cell shield, only to get shocked. It flew him back onto the wall and he fell onto his bed. He laid nearly unconscious. His mind was alive enough to hear footsteps running down the hall to his cell. The shield deactivated and a tall figure entered. 

Whoever it was, they seemed friendly enough. They sat Marcus upright and checked his body. He sounded young like him. “No major damage aside from possible fractures in the spine and shoulders.” He stated, raising an arm. “Ribs seem fine too.”

By the time he was done checking him, Marcus had gotten his head back on straight, but he couldn’t move well on account of the shock. “W-who are you?” He asked.

“Don’t talk, prisoner.” The other boy ordered. “Wait… I’m sorry, you at least deserve some kindness. I’m Kovac.”

Marcus’ vision became clear and he was met face to face with a light gray wolf with piercing yellow eyes. He was wearing a maroon turtleneck and black lab coat. The piercing eyes were protected behind a pair of rectangular glasses that seemed brimless. Above all, however, he looked as young as he did. “How did you get here Kovac?” Marcus asked. “You look my age.”

“I am, and I’m here because I’m going to be the one to…” He stopped talking suddenly. “I don’t want to say anything, it’ll only scare you.”

“W-what are you going to do to me?” He asked. “Please tell me… I’m scared as it is.”

The wolf’s expression softened. “I’m… I’m going to be harvesting you. I will be taking all of your organs and selling them. It’ll be a painless death, promise.”

“No…” He whispered. “Please, please don’t do that to me!”

“I’m sorry, but I have to. I have no choice.”

Marcus attempted to fight Kovac, but the lupine proved surprisingly strong. He managed to hold both of his arms with one hand while his other reached into his pocket and pulled out a syringe. The needle slid gently and painlessly into the vulpine's neck. After a few seconds, he was unconscious.

Kovac stood up and wiped a tear from his eyes. He exited the cell and reactivated the shield, but soon returned with a nice packaged meal that will stay hot for awhile. From behind him, the bat in the cell spoke. “That was cold Kovac. You going to be doing that to me too?”  
  
“You’re a drug addict Lex, your organs are worthless. Wolf wants me to use you for experimental drug testing. Either you’ll die or you’ll get the best high of your life.” He opened up his phone to a profile on the bat. “By the looks of things on your chart, it’s a win-win.”

The bat ignored the last part. “You call your dad by his name?”

“I…” The wolf was caught off guard. “I guess I don’t. Calling him dad wouldn’t feel right, I suppose.”

“What the hell do you owe the man? All he did was have a weak pull out game. Let’s face it, we both know you’re a mistake.”  
  
Despite his size, he has the strength of his father, slamming his fist against the side of Lex’s cell, causing it to shake. “Do not lecture me!” He howled. “You’re a lowly drug addict with no reason to live! You’re likely a mistake just like me!”

The bat smirked, completely unfrightened by Kovac. “Actually, I came from a pretty nice family. Had a brother and sister, but they died in a school bus crash. Fell into drugs pretty young. Been doing it since to get the images out of my head.” Lex looked to the unconscious vulpine in the cell over. “We all have stories. And so does he.”

“As do I.” Kovac reminded him. 

“You do. It’s as important as his and mine.”

The wolf snickered. “What were you, a failed philosopher in another life?”

Lex laughed with him. “Heh, maybe. Look where it got me though.”  
  
Kovac sighed and calmly walked off. He came back about five minutes later and threw in a bag of AB- blood. To bats, different types of blood have different flavors. O- was supposed to be the most delectable, but it also sells at a high price on the black market, so he couldn’t take any. AB- was pretty rare, so it should be good too, so he grabbed one. “Think of it as a final meal.” Kovac stated, throwing it into the cell, along with a syringe. “Because you’re going to be testing this when you’re done eating.”

“Will it kill me?” He asked.

“I’m not sure. We’ll see.”

The lupine watched as the bat quickly drank the entire bag of blood in under a minute. When it was dried up, he injected the syringe into his arm. His eye rolled into the back of his head and a large smile appeared on his face. “Whoa ho ho ho!” He exclaimed. “This… this is something!”

Kovac smiled as the bat wandered around the cell with the smile on his face. He began to jot everything down on his clipboard. After about fifteen minutes, Lex suddenly foamed at the mouth and fell to the floor. His body twitched on the floor and Kovac even attempted to go in and save him, but a large hand grabbed his shoulder. “What do you think you’re doing, boy?” The gruff voice demanded.

“He’s dying and I’m trying to save him!” Kovac replied, pulling away from the man. 

It was too late, Lex’s body had stopped moving and the foam continued to fall out from his mouth. Kovac sighed in disappointment and used a folded blanket to cover his body. Two more guards came into the room and carried the deceased man on a stretcher to the infirmary, where the young lupine would do an autopsy to see what went wrong.

“How did he respond to it?” The gruff voice asked.

“It worked as intended at first.” Kovac answered. “He was in an hallucinogenic state, but after fifteen minutes he died. I’m going to see from the autopsy if it was a matter of the dosage given or something with the drug itself.”

“Good. And what about Marcus?”  
  
He looked to the young vulpine in the cell. “He’s fine. He put up some resistance when he shocked himself, but I constrained him.”  
  
“And the meal you left?”

Kovac’s expression turned into a worried one. “W-Wolf, I know, but I-”  
  
He couldn’t even finish his sentence, as his father delivered a swift punch to his face. The young boy fell to the floor and held himself up. “That’s a McCloud!” He yelled. “They did this to us! They’re the reason you have to harvest people and make drugs for money! Show them no mercy. And when you harvest him, make sure he’s awake so I can watch him cry out in pain while recording it to show his father.”  
  
Kovac’s eyes snapped open. “N-N-No… you can’t do that! It’s evil!”  
  
In response, Wolf kicked his son in the gut, making him cough up some blood. He didn’t attempt to move after that and only pleaded with his father to stop. “I-I-I-I’ll do what you say.” He sobbed. “I p-promise.”

“You’re such a goddamn pussy. How did I end up with a son like you?”

With a final kick, Wolf walked off, leaving Kovac shaking and sobbing on the ground in front of Marcus’ cell. In the time he laid there, the vulpine came to and found him crying. At first, he didn’t register who it was, but the face of the lupine flashed in his memory. Then he saw the still hot meal on the floor. His eyes widened softly. “H-hey,” He said softly. “Are… are you okay?”

Kovac lifted his head slightly, showing his tear stained face and matted fur. Slowly, he rose to his knees and kept himself supported with one hand while his other checked his body. When he was going over his ribs, he flinched. “T-two cracked ribs.” He said to himself. “Broken at the most or severe fracture.”

“Who did that to you?” Marcus asked.

“You know…”

Wolf. He knew who it was too well. His father told him a lot of stories about his old rivalry with the now elderly lupine. It seemed that he lived up to the name. But he still didn’t know who the young lupine was before him. “You’re name’s Kovac, right?”  
  
He nodded softly. 

“I’m Marcus.”  
  
“I know. Son of Fox McCloud.” He laughed, which only caused pain in his rib. “You got the lucky draw. Rich, famous, kind dad dad, actually having a mom, real friends and a real education. I’m jealous, honestly. Who wouldn't be?”

“You’re his son, aren’t you?”  
  
“Yeah, I am.” He confirmed with a grin. “Didn’t get that lucky, did I?”

“I guess not. But to be fair, I don’t seem that lucky either.”

“Hehe, no you’re not. Especially since Wolf wants me to do awful things to you.”  
  
Awful things? The thought of it made Marcus panic a bit. What could be worse than having one’s organs harvested? The various things raced through his head, bringing him into a deeper stage of panic. “I’ll just… take out your heart first. It’s going to be very painful still, but it will be over quick. He didn’t specify the order I had to do it, you know?”  
  
“Please don’t.” Marcus begged, eyes full of tears. “I-I don’t want to die! I haven’t done anything! PLEASE!”

Kovac flinched. He felt awful, but more than that, he felt fear. Fear of his father and what he could do. He's seen him interrogate. His punches and kicks were the least he could do. “I don’t want to do this…" He cried. "But if I don’t he’ll be so much worse.”  
  
“L-let’s run!” The vulpine offered suddenly. “Open my cell and we’ll run away! I can fly any ship you give me, so I know we can!”

“How do you know that?”  
  
Marcus managed to conjure up a smile. “Because I’m a McCloud. And you’re an O’Donnell. We can do it. What do you think?”  
  
“I don’t know…”

“Well let me tell you. You’ll be away from your dad. You can be who you want to be! Because to Wolf, you’re just a tool. It’s obvious.”

He nodded. “I know. It’s obvious to me too. But I’m so scared.”  
  
“And so am I. And that’s okay too! It’s okay to be scared. That’s what my dad taught me, at least.”  
  
“Heh… my dad told me being scared is a sign of weakness. And to be weak is to be without courage.”  
  
“My dad also said that courage is pushing past our fears and taking action. Courage and fear go together. Without any fear, there would be no courage.”

Kovac’s mouth went a little agape. “That makes sense, actually.”  
  
“So… will you help me?”

He nodded. “I will, but we have to wait. We’ll do it when he’s asleep. I’ll slip something into his drink and I’ll come back for you.”

Marcus smiled. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”  
  
“Just promise me one thing.”

“Anything.”  
  
Kovac deactivated the shield to hold Marcus’ hands. “Promise me I won’t be alone. I don’t want to be free and by myself. I want a family. I want to be loved.”  
  
At first, the McCloud pulled his hands away, somewhat shocking the lupine. What shocked him more was when the vulpine suddenly hugged him. “I promise. I’ll make sure you’re loved.”

Tears formed in his eyes. “T-thank you, Marcus.” He hugged back. “Thank you so much.”  
  
After a minute of hugging and crying, Kovac finally let go. He reactivated the shield and left Marcus with his hot meal and a heart full of hope. Hope to see his parents again. While he felt that, Kovac kept on crying. That was the first time he had ever been hugged. The feeling of it was something he was sure he’d never experience, even if he was only seventeen. All he wanted to do was feel it again and again. It was something he knew he’d never get tired of. And if he was going to feel the joy he does now, he would need to do something he would never imagine doing before a minute ago. He needs to poison his own father and escape his goons. It’s a risk, but it was one he’s willing to take for a better future.


	2. Sweet Escape

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a lot longer than I thought it'd be. It looked short when I typed it out but as I was copying everything from my Doc to here it was so much longer than I thought. So heads up, I guess.

Kovac knew escaping Sargasso would be a lot harder than just knocking out his father. Sure it would be the hardest part, on a physical and mental level for the young lupine, especially since two of his ribs were fractured. First he needed to treat those. 

In his office, where the corpse of Lex laid, he took off his coat and shirt to inspect himself in the mirror. His figure was surprisingly defined for someone so famished and abused. He has a raised chest with a set of four abs lower down. Yet he was still quite skinny. 

Over his lowermost right ribs, he could see a large bruise. It was tender to the touch. Using a syringe full of a strong anti-inflammatory, he injected it into the area to reduce the swelling. His own personal blend of the popular medication worked better than most on the market and in hospitals, so the swelling went down immediately. It didn’t fix broken ribs, however. For that he wrapped some bandages around the center of his torso and got dressed afterwards.

As he dressed, he kept staring at Lex’s lifeless body. He felt awful. It was as the man said, everyone has a story. How many people did he kill that had a happy childhood with loving parents and some unknown tragedy happened that led them into a spiral? It was something he hadn’t thought about before Lex. All he focused on was his studies. Things like pop-culture and psychology of the mind were more of a mystery to him. The only time he researched psychology was for drug creation.

He walked up to the body and used a towel to clean up his mouth of the foam. As soon as he did, the towel melted. “Whoa!” He exclaimed. “Corrosive? What could’ve caused that?”   
  
The analytical side of his brain took over and he began an autopsy. He completely forgot about Marcus and his father when he was studying the deceased body. It felt like an escape, and his mind was completely different. He didn’t feel any emotions, nor pain from his wounds; he just absorbed the knowledge Lex’s body had to offer. While he did that, his father paid a visit to Marcus.

“So,” Wolf stated, glaring down at Marcus. “You’re his brat. The new pup.” He snickered. “How did he manage to produce a kid more pathetic than mine?” 

“Kovac isn’t pathetic.” He argued. “And neither am I. We’re both stronger than you think.”

He laughed again. “Please, that boy may have brains, but he doesn’t know what it means to be a warrior. And neither do you.”

“Give me a chance then. Fight me!”   
  
This time, Wolf’s laughter was loud. It even attracted the attention of other prisoners. But to Marcus’ surprise, when he stopped laughing, he deactivated the shield and raised his fists. “Show me what you got pup.”

The young vulpine wasted no time. He charged at Wolf with a fist raised. When he swung, Wolf swiftly grabbed his forearm and threw him back into the cell. He stood ready again, waiting for Marcus to charge him once again. And so he did. This time, stopped in front of him and performed a backflip to kick him in the chin. Just like before, Wolf countered it by grabbing onto his leg, but this time, he slammed Marcus into the ground. The wind got knocked out of him and he couldn’t move. 

The much larger lupine slammed his foot down on the center of his chest, probably breaking his sternum. “Who woulda thought?” He asked. “You are more pathetic than my boy. Stupid and weak.”   
  
Speaking of the boy, he had just finished with his autopsy and found that the drug directly affected the digestion process. It caused the stomach acid to increase dramatically in PH level, making it corrosive. It literally ate through his stomach lining, but his flesh turned out to be too strong for it to completely melt through. “Fascinating.” He muttered to himself. “A drug to turn the body into an acid plant. Not a very strong acid, but still, there’s potential in that.” 

Ideas for cruel weapons raced through his mind. Perhaps a gun that could shoot a syringe full of a stronger version of the drug that would cause the person to explode and further affect their allies? There were so many possibilities. 

As he brainstormed, his attention was cut away by the prison security camera feed he had set up on a monitor in his office. On it, he saw Wolf standing on Marcus’ chest with a camera. “M-Marcus!” He exclaimed. “Hold on, I’m coming!”   
  
With a few syringes under his coat, Kovac rushed out of his office and down to the prison. His lungs pressed against his damaged ribs, causing pain, but it wasn’t enough to stop him from moving. He made it to the prison quickly thanks to his long legs and found his father cutting Marcus’ arms with a knife as he cried out in pain. Not thinking twice, Kovac pulled out a syringe full of Midazolam. Before his father even noticed him, he injected it into the neck of the lupine and pulled him away from Marcus. 

At first, Wolf attempted to fight his son, but the chemicals went straight to his head and made him drowsy. With him in a drowsy state, Kovac kicked his father in the gut, sending him into the cell where Lex was once held. He managed to get the shield on before Wolf could get up, trapping the lupine inside. “K-Kovac,” He said weakly. “What the hell?!”   


Instead of giving his father the time of day, he went right over to Marcus and gently picked him up with surprisingly strong arms. “Are you alright?” He asked softly.

“Kovac,” Marcus whispered, smiling. “You came.”   


“I promised, didn’t I?” 

“You did.” He laughed a little, only causing pain. “Owie…”

“Stay quiet Marcus. We’re getting out of here.”

“N-not so fast.” Wolf stated, holding a radio. “M-men… we’ve got a…”   


Before he could finish his sentence, he passed out from the drugs. The two teens let out a breath of relief. He was certainly about to call for backup. However, just him speaking on the radio and suddenly going silent might be enough to cause suspicion from some of the more intelligent guards. 

To keep the guards off of them, the lupine gently put down Marcus and opened all of the other cells. Into one of the stronger prisoners, a muscled rhino, Kovac injected liquified bath salts into the man. He’d be an unstoppable killing machine, one he quickly needed to get out of the way of.

Quickly, he returned to Marcus and picked him up, causing him to wince from the pain in his ribs. “We have to move.” He stated. “I’ll carry you for awhile, but you need to be able to pilot a ship.”

“I can do it.” Marcus replied. “Promise.”   
  
“Here’s hoping you keep that promise.”   
  
The lupine began to run down the halls. Having grown up in the station, he knew the halls of Sargasso like the back of his hand. And instead of the elevators, he took the stairs. Around them, he could hear the chaos the prisoners were causing on all of the levels. After a massive fist punched through the wall with a guard in it, he accidentally tripped at the fourth level, dropping Marcus. Thankfully, he was able to grab onto him and spin himself so that he took the full force of the fall, including Marucs’ weight. The elbow of the vulpine went straight into his already fractured ribs, making his gasp in pain. “K-Kovac, are you alright?!” Marcus asked. 

“I’m…” He snarled. “I’m fine. Come on,” He picked Marcus up again. “We need to keep moving.”   
  
To Marcus, everything about the lupine was one surprise after another. He was stronger than he made himself out to be. More determined and brave too. And as he looked up at the lupine, he couldn’t feel anything else but admiration. But there was also the fact he was willing to put the lives of others at risk for his own goals, as seen by the rhino and other prisoners, who were all being gunned down by the guards. That alone was alarming to the vulpine.

His gaze was broken when they heard yelling from some guards. Kovac double timed it somehow. He was already running fast, but with the adrenaline pumping through his veins, Marcus swore he was as fast as any car on Lylat. Perhaps it was a strong exaggeration, but it was certainly faster than any person Marcus knows. 

Kovac managed to keep the speed up long enough for them to get into a wolfen. “C-Can you pilot?” He asked, lifting Marcus up into the cockpit.

“I made a promise that I could, didn’t I?” He replied. 

Just as Kovac was about to get in, a guard grabbed his leg, pulling him down. He kicked at the men, but his helmet protected him, allowing him to keep his grip on the lupine. “L-let go of me!” Kovac yelled. 

While he struggled, Marcus got the ship to work and it lifted up from the ground. “W-wait!” The lupine exclaimed. “Don’t - don’t leave me!”

Marcus looked behind Kovac and saw about a dozen more soldiers coming. He knew he wouldn’t be able to escape if he stayed longer. Closing his eyes, Marcus closed the cockpit. “I’m sorry Kovac.” He apologized. 

“What?” The lupine asked. “You… you promised.”   


He stopped resisting the man and Marcus lifted off and out of the hangar. When he looked back at Kovac, he saw the lupine on the ground with a look of shocked betrayal on his face. It felt like a jab in the gut, especially since he could feel every emotion coming from the teen thanks to his mother. Just as he was about to engage the afterburners to get to Corneria faster, the Wolfen’s AI spoke. “Main weapon systems online… Missiles online… Anti-personnel weapons online.”   
  
His eyes widened. Anti-personnel weapons could kill everyone in the room. And possibly Kovac. Yet it was a chance he was willing to take. With a clutch of the controls, Marcus turned the fighter around and went back into the hangar. At the time, the guards were about to take him to the prison cells, but stopped moving when they heard the engines of the Wolfen. 

All of them turned around to see two barrels pointing right at them and Kovac widened his eyes. Immediately, he wrestled himself free of the grips of the guard holding him and ran towards Marcus, allowing him to open fire on the guards. 

The weapons ripped through the group of soldiers as Kovac ran towards Marcus. The vulpine opened the cockpit and landed the ship. “Come on!” He yelled. “Get in!”   


And so he did, jumping onto the wing and then the cockpit. Once he was in the backseat of the Wolfen, Marcus turned the ship around and took off, activating the afterburners this time. He plotted a course straight to his address on Corneria and once he did, he let out a breath of relief. As soon as he did, Kovac lurched forwards and wrapped his arms around Marcus from behind. “I-I thought you were going to leave me.” He whispered. “And it really hurt… it hurt more than anything my dad could do.”   


“That’s because you trusted me.” Marcus replied, holding his arms. “And I betrayed it.”   


“But you’re here. And we’re here together escaping.” He smiled brightly. “I’m so happy!”

“If it wasn’t for the weapons, I wouldn’t have gone back.” He clenched his arms tighter. “I was a coward!”   


Kovac frowned. “Oh… b-but it’s understandable! It’s as you said, it’s okay to be scared.”   
  
“And I still ran away! If I was brave I would’ve done everything to help you, even if that meant getting captured again!”

“Sometimes bravery isn’t as important as intelligence. Look at it this way,” Kovac cleared his throat. “If you had not taken off, you wouldn’t have known about the anti-personnel weapon system. In comparison, if you had stayed to try and save me, we would have both been captured again. Considering the fact we’re both here, I’m going to say that what you did was the best course of action.”   
  
Marcus laughed a little. “Thanks… that actually really helped.”   


“You’re welcome. So, how long will it take for us to get to Corneria?”   


“About three hours.” He answered. 

“I’ve never been to Corneria.”   
  
“Really?”   
  
“Yes, really. I was born and raised on Sargasso.” He suddenly frowned. “So I don’t really exist.”   
  
The vulpine raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”   


Apparently, because Kovac was born on the station, he has no official papers for identification nor birth certificate. As far as things go from a legal standpoint, he doesn’t exist. To add more to his worry, he committed numerous crimes. Illegal drug creation, the harvesting of organs and he could now be guilty of the creation of bioweapons with the drug he recently created. “What am I going to do?” He whispered. “Am I going to prison?”   
  
“No!” Marcus immediately answered. “My dad’s a powerful guy! He’ll be able to protect you, promise!”   
  
Kovac smiled again. “Thank you Marcus.”

With that, the lupine decided he would go to sleep while Marcus made sure nobody else was following them. He was already too far gone to be tracked and he turned off his homing beacon. However, as they entered Cornerian airspace, two arwings from a military station flew beside them, waking Kovac. “W-whoa, what’s going on?” He asked, nervous. 

“Don’t worry, it’s just the welcoming committee.” Marcus pressed a button to receive a call. A man on the other end spoke.

“This is General Bill Grey, state your name and ship ID.”   
  
“Uncle Bill!” The vulpine exclaimed. “It’s me, Marcus, I escaped from Sargasso!”   
  
“M-Marcus?! You’re alive? Oh thank god! Your parents have been worried sick! But how did you escape?”   
  
“I had a bit of help.” He answered, looking back at Kovac. “He’s going to need a lot of help, Uncle. I need you to promise me that he’s going to be okay.”   
  
“Who is it?”   
  
Marcus leaned and smiled back at Kovac. At first the lupine was confused, but it dawned upon him quickly. “W-wait! You want me to…”   
  
“Go on ahead.” The smaller teen insisted.

After a bit of hesitation, Kovac leaned his head forwards and spoke into the comm system. “H-hello General, I’m Kovac O’Donnell. Son of Wolf O’Donnell.”

Bill nearly spat out his coffee. “He has a son?!”

The son nodded. “Yes, he does.”

“And you helped Marcus escape?”   
  
“That is correct.”   
  
“Well on behalf of Corneria, I thank you. We’ll make sure you’ll be okay. Alright?”   
  
Kovac smiled. “Alright.”

“So Marcus, where are you landing?”   
  
“At home. I’m just going to park right in front of our house.”   
  
“Want me to let them know?” Bill asked with a smile.   
  
Marcus grinned. “No, let them be surprised.”   


On the surface of Corneria, in a fairly large house in the suburban area of the planet, sat Fox and Krystal McCloud on the couch of their living room. Krystal was going through whatever pictures she had of her and her son while her husband tried to make links to where Marcus could’ve possibly gone. Their son had been missing for three days, and it was taking a toll on the two. Everyone from Falco to a rehabilitated Panther had come to try and help the two. So far, Panther was the only one of any help, suggesting that Marcus was on Sargasso. 

As they grieved, the loud sound of an engine emitted from outside. The wind it kicked up was so strong that they could hear the force against their windows. Quickly, they got up to look out their front window. From there, they could see a wolfen landing in the middle of their street, but the cockpit of it was too tinted for them to see the pilot.

The two rushed outside and Fox grabbed his old blaster. He had it at his side as the fighter landed right in front of them. Soon, the engines turned off and the cockpit was opened by a blue furred hand. Their eyes widened as the familiar face of their son rose up from the cockpit. “Mom, dad!” He exclaimed, waving at them. “I’m back!”   
  
“Marcus.” Fox whispered. “Where did… ”   


“MARCUS!” Krystal squealed, interrupting and scaring her husband. “Oh my baby boy!”   
  
Marcus jumped out of the cockpit and met his mother in a rough embrace. She cried profusely over his head as her husband joined the hug, who soon began to cry as well. “You guys,” Their son whispered, on the verge of tears. “I’ve missed you so much!”   
  
With that, he let the dams break and cried with his parents, leaving a very nervous Kovac to sit on the side of the cockpit. He looked around the suburban area, seeing families coming out from their homes to see what the commotion was about. Yet none of the eyes were on him, all were on Marcus. 

Eventually, the family pulled away from their hug and Marcus turned to Kovac. “Mom, dad, that’s Kovac. He helped me escape.”   
  
Slowly, the lupine jumped down from the wolfen and made his way towards Marcus. He stopped right behind him, his hands shaking from nervousness. All he ever heard about Fox was how horrible of a person he was. According to Wolf, at least. Needless to say, he didn’t trust his father, but it was still nerve racking to him to be meeting a man titled the Hero of Lylat. “Were you a prisoner?” Fox asked.

“No…” Kovac answered.

“H-he might as well have been!” Marcus argued. “Wolf kept him trapped there and made him do some awful stuff!”   


“What do you mean, son?” 

The vulpine looked up at his friend. “Tell them.”

He nodded softly. “Mr. McCloud, Wolf is my father.”

His eyes widened for a second before returning to normal. A smile even grew on his face. “You look like him a bit. Different fur color and eyes, but you have his face and height.” He stepped up to Kovac and held a hand. “Thank you. Thank you for saving my son.”

Kovac’s eyes widened and soon welled with tears. He began to fully cry when Krystal came to his side and held his other hand. “You have no idea how grateful we are.” She said, teary eyed. “Thank you so much.”

“Mom, dad,” Marcus began. “I want Kovac to stay with us. He has nowhere else to go. Hell, he doesn’t even have a birth certificate.”   
  
“Of course son.” Fox replied. “Kovac, welcome to the family.”

“A… a family?” More tears flowed from his eyes. “R-really?!”

“Absolutely!” Krystal exclaimed. “Who else is going to take care of you?” She hugged him. “We’re happy to have you.”   
  
“A family.” He whispered. “A real family.”   


Marcus giggled and joined in on the hug that now surrounded Kovac. The lupine was smiling bright and kept his tears pouring out. His first hug with Marcus felt amazing, but to be surrounded by love and support was something that nearly overloaded his heart. And so he bawled his eyes out; all in joy. 


	3. A New Life

While Fox handled business with Bill Grey, who came over to take away the Wolfen and ask for a report, Marcus, Krystal, and Kovac went inside. The house was pretty nice, with a large open space for an entrance with a dining room to their left with a table big enough to sit for eight. However, some of the chairs were in storage in the basement. In front of them was a hallway leading to the living room and kitchen, which was where they headed to

Everything was very modern, with black stainless steel appliances and a rack of Edison light bulbs above the butcher block counter. All of the other counters were butcher blocks too and the cabinets were white. 

“So, what do you two boys want to do?” The mother asked.

“I don’t know.” Marcus answered. “Actually, let me get changed first. Will you be okay, Kovac?”   
  
“I’ll be fine.” He answered.

The vulpine ran upstairs into his room, leaving Krystal with the young lupine. Using her telepathy, she read all of his thoughts and searched through his memory. It was neatly organized. More organized than any brain she had ever observed. There were sections for medical information, general memories and even a section for miscellaneous information. She went into his memories and saw flashes of the things his father did to him and what he did to others. It was almost overwhelming. Thankfully, Kovac spoke. “Excuse me Mrs. McCloud,” He said.

She blinked once. “Yes Kovac? What is it?”   


“I know you’re searching through my mind… do you not trust me?”   
  
“I’m sorry,” She apologized. “You’re still his son. I was just making sure you had no bad intentions.”   
  
“Why would I? He saved me from Wolf.”   
  
“I understand that. Just being cautious is all.”   
  
He nodded. “I understand.”   
  
“How could you tell I was looking through your mind?” 

“I felt weird and Wolf told me you were a telepath.”   
  
“And your mom? What about her?”   
  
“Why are you asking about her? She has nothing to do with this.”   
  
“I was curious as to who she was and why any mother would allow a father to do such awful things to you."   
  
“She died when I was born.” He answered emotionlessly.    
  
“Oh… I’m so sorry.”    
  
Krytstal turned around. He noticed her before she had the chance to search through his memories. She wanted to ask about his emotions during those times, but she felt as if she had already betrayed what little trust Kovac had for her. The main reason she wanted to ask was because the emotions he felt then were so different from how a normal person would perceive those experiences. 

After another minute, Marcus came back downstairs with a fresh outfit. “Wait Kovac!” He exclaimed, looking at his bloody lab coat. “You have nothing to wear!”   
  
“I guess I don’t.” He replied. “But you’re much shorter than me, so I don’t suppose you have anything I could wear.”   
  
“You look about my size.” Krystal said. “Come on, we’ll see if I can find you something manly.”   
  
“Okay, thank you.”   
  
Marcus watched as his mother and his new friend disappeared upstairs. He couldn’t help but feel that Kovac was acting differently. A second ago he was so happy, but now he seemed almost depressed. When he came back downstairs, he was wearing some tight jeans and a V-neck t-shirt that was a little too small for him, leaving a little space between the pants and shirt bare. Marcus blushed. He had a good figure. 

When he sat back down at the island, Krystal went back outside to see her husband and the General. Seeing his opportunity, Marcus spoke. “Are you alright Kovac?” He asked.

“Your mother doesn’t trust me.” The lupine answered. “She searched my mind.”   
  
“A-and you could tell?!”   
  
He nodded. “My head felt buzzy. During my time with you, I haven't felt that same buzz. So I know that you haven’t. Unless I missed it?”   
  
“Nope! I'd never do it without permission. Besides, I’m not as good as my mom.”   


“Why don’t you practice on me?” He suggested. “Go ahead.”   
  
Gently, Marcus placed his head on Kovac’s head and closed his eyes. With a deep breath, he dove into the mind of the lupine. Like with Krystal, it was neatly organized, but he felt an overwhelming feeling of joy and love. In his mind, he couldn’t help but smile and laugh, causing him to retract his hand from Kovac’s head. When he opened his eyes, he noticed that he was crying. “W-wha?” He asked himself. “What…”   


“I’m not good with words.” Kovac explained. “I just wanted you to feel how I feel about you and your family, even if Mrs. McCloud doesn’t trust me fully.”

Marcus smiled. “That… that was the most amazing thing I’ve ever felt.”   
  
“I’m glad you enjoyed my mind. Most of the time I can’t.” He giggled. “Perhaps now I can think without worrying about my father.”   


“And I’ll be here to help!” The vulpine exclaimed. “Speaking of helping, you look hungry!”   
  
Kovac was about to object, but his stomach grumbled and he blushed from embarrassment. Both laughed about it as Marcus broke out various cheeses and crackers to snack on. One of them was whiskey cheese and another was chardonnay cheese. Having never eaten anything aside from nutritional pastes, Kovac wasn’t sure what he was getting himself into. 

Slowly, he put a cube of cheese on the cracker and bit into it. He chewed just as slowly with his eyes closed as Marcus watched in anticipation. When he opened his eyes, he smiled. “This is the best thing I’ve ever had! The only thing too, but that’s not the point!”   


“I’m glad you like it!” Marcus replied. “My parents save this for special occasions. We really shouldn’t be eating it, but I felt like you deserved it.”   
  
Kovac’s expression changed. He looked panicked. “W-what? We’re not supposed to? We need to put this away!”   
  
“Dude chill, we’re not in trouble.”

“Yes we are! We’re not supposed to be eating this at all!” His breathing quickened. “We can’t just do things we want to! Especially if we’re not supposed to be doing it!”   
  
Marcus realized what was happening. That was Wolf’s parenting at work. So, he walked over to Kovac and held his hand gently. “We’re going to be okay.” He whispered, massaging his friend’s knuckles with his thumb. “My parents aren’t like that. Understood?”   
  
The lupine nodded. “Y-yeah… I do.”

“Take a breath. We’re fine. Promise.”   
  
With some more help from Marcus, Kovac calmed down, but he refused to eat more of the cheese and crackers. So, to get his friend fed, the blue vulpine began to cook some boxed mac and cheese. He threw it into the microwave and sat back down with Kovac, who had become much more calm. Looking for something to do, Marcus looked over at the smart home device that could play music. “Hey Kovac, ever listened to music?”   
  
“I can’t say I have aside from the death metal Wolf would play.” He answered. “Why?”   
  
“Do you want to listen to some?”   
  
He shrugged. “Sure, why not?”   
  
“Do you have a preference?”   
  
“All I know is death metal and I hate it, so anything but that please.”   
  
“You got it.” He cleared his throat. “Hey! Marina!” The little device powered on. “Play songs by Mia du Pipa!”

The beat started fast, but soft. It was all synth until the female singer began to sing. 

_ Common love isn't for us _

_ We created something phenomenal _

_ Don't you agree? _

_ Don't you agree? _

_ You got me feeling diamond rich _

_ Nothing on this planet compares to it _

_ Don't you agree? _

_ Don't you agree? _

_ Who needs to go to sleep, when I got you next to me? _

The chorus dropped and Marcus hopped out of his seat to dance. It was silly to Kovac, but the vulpine also seemed to be enjoying himself to the 80’s beat. So, he stepped off of his stool and attempted to mimic his friend’s movements, only to just wave his arms around. He blushed from embarrassment, so Marcus grabbed him by both hands and spun him around. “M-Marcus!” He exclaimed. “Careful!”   
  
“Come on!” The vulpine said happily. “Let’s dance!”   
  
The overwhelming positivity from the smaller teen helped Kovac find some kind of groove to his dance. By the end of the song, he had a pretty good thing going, moving his hips while doing small, slow arm circles. The song changed into another one by the same artist titled  _ Levitating _ . For that one, Marcus stuck with Kovac and danced to the beat as his parents walked in. 

Both of them giggled at the sight of their silly dancing. What surprised them was when Kovac picked up Marcus, threw him up, spun around and caught him in a hug. “I’m having so much fun!” He exclaimed. “Thank you Marcus!”   
  
“I-it’s no problem K.” He replied, a little dazed by the throw. “But didn’t that hurt your ribs?”   
  
“So what if it did? This is the most fun I’ve had in my life!”   
  
“Is this all it takes?” Fox asked, shifting their attention towards him. “Just some music?”   


“You know what my father is like.” He replied. “Is it that surprising that he wouldn’t let me enjoy anything in life?”   
  
“A little, yeah. I knew him back in the academy and he was pretty well-liked. But that was the past and it doesn’t excuse the things he’s done to you now.”   
  
“How far he has fallen, then.” Kovac stated. 

The mood was a little ruined by that, and their food was done for a while. So Marcus took out the packaged mac and cheese and placed it between himself and his friend. He let the lupine take the first bite. This time, he seemed only okay with it. “Not a fan?” Marcus asked.

“Doesn’t have a lot of flavor… it’s like a more solid version of the nutrient paste I’d eat.” 

“I think we need some salt, pepper and hot sauce!”   
  
Marcus got up to grab all three things and mixed them into the mac. This time, when Kovac took a bite, he smiled. “So much better! Thank you Marcus, you’re an excellent cook.”   
  
“Please,” He laughed. “I’m not a great cook. I threw this in the microwave and doctored it up a bit is all.”

“Well you’re much better who made it originally then!”   
  
The vulpine laughed again, somewhat confusing his lupine friend, but he didn’t ask questions and continued eating the mac while Fox explained to him what was going to happen. He has to decide a name for himself for his state ID and would need to get a few medical tests done. “You get to choose your own name!” Marcus exclaimed. “That’s pretty cool. What are you going to go with?”   
  
“Well I do like being Kovac, but my last name has to change.” He replied. “How about Valentino? Kovac Valentino.”

“I like it!” Krystal concurred. “A unique name for a unique guy!”   
  
“Am I unique?” He asked.

“Totally!” Marcus answered. “You’re like, really smart man. It’s kinda crazy.”   
  
“I’ve always been good at storing information from text. Wolf used to make me read dozens of books on chemistry, physiology and medicine when I was younger. I guess he always knew that I had a gift for that. It’s probably what kept me alive.”   
  
“He used you, didn’t he?” Fox asked sadly. 

“I was no better than a tool.”

The lupine clenched up and bit back a tear. He couldn’t let his father cause him anymore pain. Especially since he was no longer around. But then he remembered, he didn’t kill his father, he only locked him up and he was certain that the prisoners would have been taken care of by now and his father released. That meant he could come after them. “What is the General doing about Wolf?” Kovac asked.

“He’s organizing a strike team.” Fox answered. “They’re going to storm Sargasso. So far they’ve had no evidence of anything worth attacking for. But now that they know there’s experimental drugs and the harvesting of organs, they have enough reason to attack.”   
  
“Please tell me how it goes once it is done.” The lupine requested. “I don’t think I can be at peace until he is gone for good.” Suddenly, he snarled. “I should’ve just killed him! I had my chance to and I should’ve finished it!”

“Kovac,” Marcus began, holding his friend’s arm. “Take a breath. It’s okay that he didn’t die yet, they’ll get him.”   
  
“I was weak…” He stated, dropping his head. “He’s right, I am pathetic.”

“No you’re not!” The vulpine argued. “You’re awesome! How many times do I have to tell you that?”   
  
The larger teen chuckled. “Probably a lot.”   
  
From the contact, Marcus could feel his emotions. Love, fear and guilt were the main three at the time. Fear at the prospect his father could still come after them. Guilt that he didn’t kill Wolf. And love towards Marcus. “Come on Kovac,” He said, standing up. “Let’s chill in my room. We could do good with some sleep.”

“I guess I am tired.” The lupine replied. “Perhaps that is why I’m so emotionally sensitive right now.”   
  
Together, the two went up to his room. It was certainly a nice room, with enough space for a couch, a TV, a desk with a nice computer and a full sized bed with a thick blue and white comforter. And in the corner was an acoustic guitar that looked like it hadn’t been used in awhile. “Wow… this is nice.” Kovac stated. 

“Thanks. Do you need pajamas or can you sleep in those?”   
  
“I’d sleep in my lab coat on my office chair, so I’d say comfy jeans and a t-shirt are an improvement. Let alone the fact I’m actually going to be sleeping in a real bed now.”

“Wolf didn’t let you sleep in a bed?!”   
  
“It’s as you said, I was a prisoner there too and I was treated like one.”

“Damn Wolf to hell!” The vulpine cursed. “Those soldiers better kill him.”

“Here’s hoping.”   
  
Not wanting his friend to think about Wolf anymore, Marcus laid Kovac down in his bed and joined him. The vulpine unfolded a blanket at the end of his bed and pulled it over them and fluffed a pillow for the lupine. As he did so, Kovac took off his glasses and put them on the nightstand next to his bed. When he turned back, he caught Marcus blushing. “Is something the matter?” He asked.

“N-no!” The nervous vulpine answered. “Nothing… it’s just that… I haven’t slept with another guy before.”   
  
The lupine raised an eyebrow. “If you’re not comfortable, I can move to the couch. It would still be an improvement.”   


“You’re fine here! Plus… another reason I’m blushing is because you’re…” He took a deep breath before speaking a bit too fast. “I think you’re kinda cute, especially without your glasses!”   
  
“Cute? If I’m not mistaken, men are supposed to be referred to as handsome, correct?”   
  
“Well yeah, but it can mean the same thing. You are more handsome without your glasses, but with them you’re cute.”   
  
“Then why would you say I’m cute?”   
  
Marcus grabbed the sides of his friend's face. “J-just shut up so we can sleep!”   


He frowned. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you.”   


“What? No! You didn’t upset me!” The vulpine quickly corrected. “I was just kidding around! I’m a little flustered and you’re making it worse.”   
  
That part was evident judging by how much he was blushing now. He was almost going from blue to red entirely. Yet as he tried to read Kovac’s emotions, he noticed that the love for him was the same, but the fear and guilt was also gone. “So…” The lupine began. “Can I describe you?”   
  
“What do you mean?” The smaller vulpine asked.

“You described me as handsome and cute, so may I describe you as something as well?”   
  
Marcus giggled. “Of course you can.”   
  
“Thank you.” Kovac paused to think. “I’d describe you as cute. I can’t quite say you’re handsome with that blush on your face, but even without it I don’t have another word. Well, I suppose I could say charming or adorable and they’d still apply.”   
  
Somehow, the vulpine managed to blush more. “T-thanks Kovac.”   
  
“You know, blushing is a reaction to embarrassment or stress. But I bet you didn’t know that it’s an evolved trait to help attract a partner.”   
  
“Wait really?”   


“It is. Now you know!”

Marcus averted his gaze. “Is it working?”   
  
Now Kovac finally blushed. “Well um… heh heh, maybe a little.”   
  
“I think we should go to sleep.”

“I concur.”   


The vulpine giggled. Kovac had a way of speaking that seemed silly and attractive to him. Of course the way he himself talked was probably strange for the lupine. He decided not to ask about it, however, as the larger teen was already fast asleep. And as he fell asleep, his friend shifted and his arm ended up hugging him. It seemed almost intentional, especially when Kovac wrapped Marcus in his arms and pulled him close into a spooning position. 

Marcus couldn’t help but wonder how he felt about Kovac. Of course he likes him, but to the extent that he felt it was confusing. From earlier, he knew that the lupine loves him, but he also knows that he doesn’t recognize his own feelings. Maybe he doesn’t even notice them. Out of all the minds he has attempted to read, Kovac had the most unique one by far. And he wanted to explore it. Even though he had permission, he decided to not do it while the lupine was asleep. So, with the larger teen wrapped around him, he fell asleep as well. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The only thing I have to say is, yes, I write pretty fast. Is it always the best? Up for debate. 
> 
> Legal stuff, the song used was "Physical" by Dua Lipa, not Mia du Pipa. It's a bop, give it a listen!


	4. The Friends

Slowly, Kovac awoke in a dark, unlit room. Just as he opened his eyes, a light shined bright, blinding him. His vision cleared, allowing to see the sight of his father with Marcus under his foot. Immediately, he lurched forwards to save his friend, but found himself bound by chains. All he could do was watch as Wolf slowly used the blade of his gun to slit the vulpine’s throat. “NO!” He cried out.

“Do you see, you pathetic whelp?” The lupine asked. “This is what will happen when you betray me!”

“W-Will happen?” Kovac asked. 

Suddenly, Marcus’ eyes snapped open, filled with blood and the only original sight being his remaining emerald irises. “Wake up Kovac.” He whispered. “Wake up.” He said louder. “Wake up!”

“Kovac, wake up!” Marcus yelled, shaking the teenage lupine.

Quickly, the gray wolf gasped awake and lifted his torso up. He stared at the emerald eyes in front of him, which only filled him with tears. Suddenly, he wrapped his arms around the vulpine and pulled him down into him. “I-I-I thought I had lost you!” He bawled. 

Marcus hugged back, reaching his arms under his shoulders. “You were having a nightmare, Kovac. None of it was real. I’m right here.”

The lupine gripped the back of his friend’s head and brought him into the crook of his neck. He held Marcus there for nearly five full minutes, simply rubbing his back and the back of his head. When let his grip on Marcus go, he kept a hold of his hand. “Please, for the rest of the day at least, stay by my side?”

“Of course. I’ll be right here.” He promised. 

“Thank you.”

Gently, Marcus led his friend out of bed and down to the kitchen. The two were the first up so he decided to order breakfast using his phone. Just as placed the order, he got a call from his close friend, Piper. Immediately, he answered. “Oh my god!” She exclaimed. “Marcus, is that you?”

“Hey Piper.” He replied. “And yeah, it’s me. I escaped with some help.”

“Thank god you’re alright! We need to visit you, ASAP! All five of us!”

“Can you come over at noon today? I’m spending some time with my friend Kovac. He’s the one that helped me escape.”

“I can’t wait to meet him!” She replied. “I’ll gather the gang. See you at noon!”

The hare hung up first, leaving Marcus to explain who his five friends were. Jamie, Piper, Earl, Bonnie and Abraham were the five closest to him. Apparently, the five have been together since they were pups, minus Abraham, who once saved them from a camping trip gone wrong. Since, he had always been a member of the group.

Soon, breakfast arrived and the smell awoke Fox, who came downstairs in plaid boxers and a tank top. He yawned, catching the attention of the teens. They turned to him. “Good morning kiddos.” Fox greeted. “Kovac, when you’re done eating I want to have a talk with you. In private.”

“Dad,” Marcus stated. “I promised Kovac I’d stay by his side today. He had a bad nightmare and-”

“I figured.” The father interrupted. “It’s why I’d like to talk to him and give him something that would help him feel safer.”

After a pause, his son realized what he was planning on doing. Quickly, he insisted that Kovac follow his father immediately. Despite being startled, he agreed and followed the matriarch down into the basement. There, the vulpine walked to a metal cabinet and opened it up to show about a dozen blasters and six rifles that were mounted on the doors. The eyes of the lupine opened wide. “Take your pick.” He said, smiling.

“P-Pardon?!”

“You’re a part of the family now. I have one, Krystal has one and even Marcus has one. Only right that you do too.”

“And you trust me with this?”

“You saved my son and went against your father, that’s more than enough to trust you and call you my boy.”

More tears came to Kovac’s eyes and he couldn’t come to a decision because of it. Still smiling, Fox hugged the much taller teen and patted his back. He could tell he never had a father figure in his life, and he was going to need one from now on. “Let me know if you ever need anything.” Fox said. “I’m always here.”

“T-t-thank you so much.” He cried, hugging tighter. “I’ve never had a real dad before… or a family. Thank you!”

The lupine cried over his guardian’s head and looked at the blasters. There was a larger, maroon one with two barrels stacked on top of one another. Slowly, he separated from Fox and pointed at the blaster. “That one.”

“Ahhhh… a plus sized derringer pistol.” Fox stated, picking the gun off the wall. “You can only fire two shots before this thing has to cool down, but the blasts that come from this are a lot more powerful than the average blaster.”

With the blaster, he took Kovac further back into the basement. There, a shooting range was installed and Fox moved a shooting target father back. He put some noise cancelling headphones onto the lupine and helped him get into a proper position. “Did Wolf not teach you this?”

“No. The only thing he ever expected of me was to continue my studies.” He answered.

Fox growled a little and stood behind Kovac. He positioned his arms correctly and had him look straight forwards. “When you shoot, do it like this. Whenever you’re ready, pull the trigger. Be warned, depending on how much you pull back, it’ll fire. So only pull back until the first click.”

Slowly, Kovac applied pressure onto the trigger. Not even a second later, the gun went off. Fox was expecting the lupine to flinch, but he was unmoving. He fired again and the older vulpine retracted the target. Two holes were right on the head of the target. “Great shot Kovac!” Fox exclaimed, patting his shoulder. 

“I guess I did get something from Wolf. His shooting abilities.” He stated.

“Looks like I don’t need to teach you anything. Well… unless you want to step it up a bit?”

“What do you mean by that?” Kovac asked.

With a smirk, Fox pressed a button on the wall. When he did, the shooting range walls collapsed and a force field activated. Beyond it, where the range area was, multiple Lylatian-like holograms formed. Kovac was quick to realize what it was: a simulation room. “So, what do you say?” Fox asked.

He nodded. As soon as he stepped in, Kovac had an awareness of his surroundings and the holograms. Truly, it was almost an instinct. Even when he wasn’t looking at a specific one, he just seemed to know where it was and was able to hit his mark. The first one he shot exploded into thousands of small triangles. It was almost beautiful. And he lost himself in the bliss of having a powerful weapon in his hands, a weapon that he could use to defend himself and Marcus from his father. 

Finally, after three consecutive rounds, Fox asked if he had enough. In response, Kovac pointed a finger in the air, signaling for the man to increase the difficulty. The father giggled and pressed a few buttons, increasing the speed and amount of targets, as well as decreasing the time limit he had to take them all out. 

After almost two constant hours of practice, Marcus finally came downstairs and saw his friend going to town on the holograms. There were a dozen in total by that point moving at the speed of a car. Yet each pulse shot he fired found a home, shattering a hologram. “Whoa,” The vulpine whispered, catching his father’s attention.

“He’s a natural, isn’t he?” Fox replied. “Hell, even I wasn’t this good when I first started.”

Quickly, Kovac turned towards Marcus and fired, hitting a hologram which stood right in front of the teen. The bullet dissipated on the shield, yet the vulpine jumped anyways. Upon seeing his friend, and realizing he had his gun pointed right at him, he dropped it and ran out of the simulation room. “M-Marcus, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you!”

“It’s-It’s okay Kov.” He replied. “I was just surprised. The shield protected me anyways.”

“But if it hadn’t you would’ve been-”

To shut him up, Marcus placed a finger to the lupine’s lips. “Don’t focus on the what-ifs. Focus on what is happening now. Okay?”

He nodded. “Okay.”

“Good. Also, awesome job! You were incredible!” 

The lupine blushed. “R-really? It felt natural.”

“You’re still half your father,” Fox said.” But it seems like you only got his good traits!”

“Or the useful ones, rather.” He corrected. “There is nothing good about that man.”

“And what about your mother?”

“My mother? Can’t say I knew her. She died when she gave birth to me. But she gave me my physique and spots.”

Marcus tilted his head. “What spots?”

With a giggle, Kovac removed his shirt, showing his body to Marcus. While it wasn’t his intention to flaunt himself, Marcus blushed nevertheless. He didn’t seem to notice and instead turned around, showing his leopard-print back. Instead of being brown like a normal leopard, the spots were a darker shade of gray than his normal fur color. Fox smirked at his blushing son, who hid his face. At first, Kovac didn’t notice and explained that his mother was a cheetah, which was why he was able to run so fast when the two escaped. After his explanation, he noticed his friend’s intense blushing. It confused the lupine, until he reminded himself of the reasons one blushed. “Oh!” He exclaimed. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know I attracted you. I’ll put my shirt on right away!”

“I’d rather you not.” Marcus whispered into his hands.

“What was that?”  
  
“N-Nothing!”

Shrugging, the lupine put back on his shirt and walked upstairs with Marcus. To their surprise, Krystal had let all of Marcus’ friends in, who had come early. In the living room were five other people. The first one who stood out the most was an enormous deer. Not in weight, but in height. He must’ve been well over seven feet tall. Majestic, uniform antlers only added to his height and from Kovac’s initial estimates, he was a total of 7,8 with his antlers. Even more unlike a common deer, his fur was all black, but his eyes were as white as the moon. There was a lot of fluff around his neck like a wolf would. And he was wearing a long white gown that left his shoulders bare. 

The next one was a skinny red fox Labrador of average height. He looked like he was bouncing off the walls and radiating energy. His eyes were a bit too large for a canine and had an odd coloring to them, almost a bridge between brown and blue. 

Keeping the Labrador grounded was a fairly short, chubby, but curvy Rottweiler girl. She had a resting bitch face with no noticeable features aside from ripped jeans and a V-neck t-shirt. What did stand out was the three gold necklaces around her neck and the noticeable burn scar over her right eye and down the side of her cheek.

Then there was a tall rabbit girl who was about the same height as Kovac. She was stunningly beautiful with ears that resembled long hair and was currently browsing on her phone next to a short, fat orange toad wearing a cowboy hat and boots to match.

Out of all of them, the tall deer was the first to notice the teens. His eyes widened and a smile spread across his face as he made his way over to the lupine. “Hello there,” He greeted, leaning down to his eye level. “I’m Abraham, and you are?”

“Kovac Valentino.” He answered, using his new name. “A pleasure.”

“You’re the guy that escaped with Marcus!” The male canine exclaimed. “You’re awesome!”

“Please forgive my step brother.” The other canine apologized. “He has too much energy for his own good. I’m Bonnie, and he’s Jamie.”

“A-A pleasure as well.” Kovac said, shaking their hands. 

Then came Marcus’ two closed friends, Piper and Earl. They were a little more hesitant, but were grateful to the lupine for bringing back their friend nevertheless. “Hey Marc,” Piper stated. “He’s pretty hot.”

The vulpine blushed. “P-Piper!”

“You two would make an even hotter couple.”

“PIPER!” He yelled, flustered.

“I agree as well darling.” Abraham said, leaning over Marcus. “The son of Wolf O’Donnell and the son of Fox McCloud would be quite the love story, would it not?”

“Guys!” Bella yelled, catching their attention. “Don’t force things on him. If you want them to be in a relationship let them go at their own pace, otherwise it’s forced and they would be unhappy.”

“Thank you, Bonnie.” Marcus replied.

“However, I do agree that you two would make a hot couple.”

“This is too gay for me.” Jamie stated. 

“Hush you.” Abraham said, picking up the comparatively small canine. “Things being gay just means they’re fabulous.”

“H-hey! Let me go!”

The group giggled as the energetic dog attempted to escape from the grasp of the buck but to no avail. As they watched, Marcus told Kovac the important traits about them. Piper was their gossip internet girl. She’s like a detective when it comes to social media. Earl was their brainiac, but now Kovac was there to rival him. Bonnie was the calm brawler of their group, providing solid information for her friends and powerful punches to her enemies. And the little trouble maker of the group was Jamie, who Bonnie kept out of trouble. Then finally Abraham, the group’s protector and loving mother figure. He spent most of his time with them or painting

“Not gonna lie, Abraham is the most interesting out of us. He lives by himself in an abandoned warehouse in the middle of the forest.” Marcus explained. “And his art. Oh my god it’s beautiful. He paints like all the old classic stuff, so it’s all oil paint. But he also makes clothes and his own candles!”

“Oh, how interesting.” Kovac commented. “I’d like to know about his abnormal height, though.” The lupine stood up to the massive teen. “Pardon me, I’d like to ask you some questions.”

“About my height, correct?” He asked softly. 

“Yes.”

“Let me tell you. You see, my mother was from Fichina. As you know they’re a tall species, but she’s also one of the few remaining dire wolves, making her even taller. And my father was a buck. A very brave one.” He giggled at his last comment.

“If I’m not mistaken, people from that planet are also abnormally strong. Is that right?”

He nodded. “It’s because of the high gravity density. My mom had enhanced muscle fibers and I inherited half of them. So I’m only half as strong as she was.”

“Pardon me for asking, but where are they now?”

Abraham kept his smile. “I don’t really care. If they died I would probably be happy.”

“W-were they as bad as mine?!” Kovac asked, panicked.

“Oh heavens no! They’re just awful people. They believe they should be able to control others and they were always looking over my shoulder! Or at least my mom was able to. Either way, both of them were rich spoiled brats and I wanted none of it. So I ran.”

Kovac couldn’t quite process that statement. Just running away from one’s parents on nothing but their own free will? He never ran until yesterday and his father was beyond abusive. Did Abraham really think his problems were that bad? 

While he did have a million questions, he decided not to ask. He stayed fairly silent as Marcus reunited with his friends. They were talking about things on their social media and celebrity gossip. Some politics were even thrown in. It was confusing to him and he felt a little isolated. So when he saw Fox, he excused himself and followed the vulpine upstairs, where he stopped in his office. “Pardon me, Mr. McCloud,” He stated, catching the man’s attention. “But what is it that you do?”

“I’m a professor at the Cornerian Flight Academy.” The teacher answered. “It’s a pretty good job, but what brings you up here?”

The lupine lowered his head. “I feel out of place among Marcus’ friends. They’re all very nice, but they speak of things I don’t understand. Like… who are the Holloways? I gathered that they are made of plastic? Are they experimental Lylatian-like robots?”

Fox laughed. “No, not at all! They’re a group of women who are famous just for being born to famous parents. And the plastic thing means that they’ve had plastic surgery to make themselves look better.”

“Oh… so by saying they’re made of plastic means that they’ve had a lot of surgeries?”

“Exactly!”

“Ah, I see. Still, there is so much I don’t understand.” He sighed. “I wonder if I’ll ever fit in.”

“You don’t have to Kovac. I understand you want to be friends with Marcus’ friends, but you don’t have to be. You’ll find your own crowd of people to be friends with.”

Kovac seemed surprised. “You really think so?”

“I know so. Tell you what; I’m going to a party next week full of other professors, and not just from the Flight Academy. A lot of them are from medical universities. You’re into that, right?”

“Y-yes!” He answered, his ears perking up. 

“Thought so. So, how about you come with me to that party? There will be dozens of people who would love to talk to you about medicine.” 

“You’d take me? Really?”

Fox smiled. “I’d be happy to have you. At least one of us could enjoy the party. Me, I usually drink whiskey in the corner with Falco or Bill. I’m only there to make the host happy. So, what do you say?”

Kovac smiled back. “I’d like to. Thank you sir.”

“Kid just call me Fox. Hell you could call me dad!”

He blushed. “D-dad? I… I don’t know. It’s not that I don’t see you as a father figure it’s just that…” He sighed. “I think I have… feelings for Marcus. And calling you dad would make it weird for me.”

Fox’s eyes widened. “Really? I’m not surprised. You two have only known one another for two days and you’ve been through a lot together. And I’m guessing he’s the only person your age you knew before his friends?”

“That is correct. So are my feelings misplaced?”

“I wouldn’t call them misplaced, just… new.” He paused to think about his choice of words. “There might be others in the future that you’ll take a liking to. But your feelings for my son shouldn’t be ignored.”

“What should I do?”

“Give it time. If your feelings for him don’t go away, then you know.”

“And if they do?”

“You move on. Don’t waste time trying to get back feelings that you no longer have.”

He nodded. “Thank you Fox. This has been very helpful.”

“That’s my role as a dad. Here’s more advice; talk to Earl. You two are smart kids.”

“I will. Thanks again.”

Kovac left the office, leaving the vulpine to grade a large amount of papers. He was left with a lot to think about. New feelings, forming relationships with people and fitting into a pop-culture world. It felt a little overwhelming, but he rationed that what he survived was much worse than what he was going through now.

When he went back downstairs, he found the group dancing in front of a phone. He raised an eyebrow and walked in the middle of it, interrupting their recording. All of them except Abraham and Marcus were petty about it and he felt bad. More than most would. “I think we should keep it.” Abraham suggested. “Let it be an introduction to our new member.”

“Member?” Kovac asked. “That suggests that there is a group to be a part of.”

“Sort of.” Marcus said. “Let me explain.”

Apparently, since he’s the son of Fox McCloud, he has a large internet following, as do his friends. Together, they have a group, which they call Star Fox, after James’ original team. Almost daily they try to post little videos of them dancing or lip syncing to something. The idea was confusing to Kovac. “What’s the point of this?” He asked. “It seems like you could do more intellectually stimulating things.”

“Thank you!” Earl exclaimed. “I’m not the only one!”

“Oh, you’re Earl, yes?” 

“That’s me.”

“Fox told me I should talk to you. He says you’re smart?”

The toad smirked. “Well I don’t mean to brag, but I know a lot. Like a lot, a lot.”

Everyone else aside from him and Kovac groaned. Earl had a tendency to say and prove how smart he was. It was annoying most times. But now it might just be what Kovac needed. “Why did he say to talk to him?” Piper asked. “Why not all of us?”

“I don’t understand anything you guys say.” He answered, frowning. “You talk about people I have never heard of, trends that are foreign to me and politics that I don’t understand. Forgive me for saying this, but I feel isolated.”

“Oh Kovac,” Marcus whispered, walking to his friend to hold his hand. “I’m so sorry. I was ignoring you and didn’t consider how you were feeling.”

“It’s alright Marcus.” His eyes rounded when the vulpine began to cry. “P-please don’t cry! Really, it’s not your fault! If anything, it’s Wolf’s.”

“I-I still feel bad… I’m sorry.”

This time, Kovac glared. “Well don’t be. It’s pointless to feel bad about something you have no control over.”

“It’s called empathy, Kovac.” Bonnie stated. “He feels bad for you.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t understand.”

Bonnie was about to scold him for not being able to understand empathy, but Abraham calmly placed a hand on her shoulder. “Think about the things he’s had to do.” He whispered. “It’s not surprising he has little to no empathy. If he had any, Wolf would’ve killed him.”

She frowned. “You’re right… as usual.”

Abraham stood straight up and spoke to the lupine. “Kovac, it’s alright that you don’t understand it. Empathy can be learned, but we cannot teach it.”

“I’m afraid I don’t understand.”

“And that’s okay too. It’s okay to not understand things. Regardless, empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. Marcus knows how you feel, and thus he feels the emotions you felt.”

“Marcus…” The lupine whispered, holding his friend’s head. “Do you feel what I do?”

He nodded gently before burying his face into his friend’s chest. Slowly, Kovac wrapped his arms around the small vulpine and sat him down on the couch. All he had to do was hold Marcus to help make him feel better. As they did so, the others, except for Abraham, left the room, as they felt too awkward. Being the loving mother of the group, he stayed for both of his children. Once Marcus had stopped crying, the buck spoke. “See Kovac, you do understand empathy. You had enough to be there and hug Marcus until he was comfortable.”

“He was sad… and it made me sad.” The lupine replied. “That was empathy, right?”

“It was. Everyone has the ability to be empathetic. Even your father.”

“That’s hard to imagine…”

“I know it is, but it’s true. But you can believe otherwise. There is nothing wrong with that.”

Kovac paused to think. His father having empathy and compassion? There must’ve been some reason that his mother bore his child. Something attractive in him. What could have been there that would push someone to want to have a child with them? And then there was what Fox said about Wolf being a cool guy during their academy days. What changed?

The questions filled his head and Marcus could feel his confusion. Quickly, he decided that they should distract him and began to show him the app he was filming a video for. A lot of the nuances were still confusing to him and the attempts at humor unphased him. He just stared at the screen with a blank expression, but faked a laugh whenever Marcus laughed. “Dude,” Jamie said. “You don’t have to fake laugh. You don’t find it funny, you don’t find it funny. I don’t either.”

“Really?”

“Totally man!”

Bonnie groaned. “That’s because he has the most fucked up sense of humor out there. He likes making dark jokes.”

“Dark jokes? Like… illumination?”

“Nah man!” The labrador laughed. “Like really inappropriate and things you really shouldn’t joke about. Here’s one-”

“Jamie.” Abraham said with a soft smile. “What did we say about jokes like that?”

He sighed. “On my own time, I know, I know.”

“Good boy.”

Despite Marcus being a McCloud, it really seemed like Abraham was the head of the pack. Or that’s what Kovac thought, at least. Marcus did mention he was the loving mother-figure, and considering how there was no father figure, it would be logical to assume he was the head. Not to say a mother couldn’t be the head of a family if there was a father figure. Father’s could be worthless, as shown by Wolf. 

For the next few hours, Kovac attempted to understand their internet jokes, but he felt his brain cells dying. Rapidly. After the third hour of just scrolling through their phones, hardly talking to one another, the lupine snapped. Rather suddenly too. “I can’t take this.” He growled, standing up. “What is this? I was led to believe that friendship is more than just sitting around looking through your phones! You can do this on your own, but you’re all together and you decide to do this? It’s ridiculous!” 

The shock of hearing Kovac speak so powerfully was stunning for Marcus, who found himself frozen on the spot. All of them were frozen, except for Abraham, who calmly stood up and placed a hand on Kovac’s shoulder. “I agree completely. Tell me Kovac, have you ever been to a mall?”

“Isn’t a mall a large shopping center consisting of many stores?” He asked.

“Exactly. How about we take you there and buy you some clothes? Those look a tad small.”

The lupine leaned to look around the tall buck, and at Marcus. “Marcus, would you be alright with that?”

Snapping himself out of it, the vulpine shook his head. “Y-yeah! Let’s do it! It’ll be fun!”

“I’m down.” Piper agreed. “Anyone else?”

“Oh I need a new game!” Jamie exclaimed. 

“And I could go for some new bling.” Bonnie stated, pulling on her necklaces. “What about you Earl?”

“Might as well. What are you going for, big guy?”

Abraham tilted his head and smiled. “Someone has to drive you all. Afterall, I’m the only one with a license.”

“How is it that Marcus can pilot a ship but not a car?” Kovac asked.

Marcus flinched from the metaphorical wound inflicted upon him and was thus unable to answer the question. Regardless, Piper grabbed him and Kovac by the hand with a bright smile. “To the mall boys and girl!” She exclaimed, winking at the Rottweiler. 

Bonnie sighed and mumbled to herself. “Not sure about that anymore…”


	5. The Pain

Kovac was nervous, and for good reason too. He neglected to mention it to Marcus, but his rib injury still wasn’t properly treated and his dose of strong morphine was wearing off. The pain was tolerable, but the swelling was returning and the pressure the small shirt was putting on it was only making the pain worse. Regardless, he put on his best smile and walked outside to Abraham’s car.

It was the first time Kovac had ever been in a car, so he sat in the back of Abraham’s convertible. They had to pile together in the back, as there were only a total of four other seats for all six of them. What ended up happening was Marcus sitting on Kovac’s lap and Jamie doing the same with Bonnie. Piper sat between them all and Earl rode shotgun. 

As the buck drove, Kovac felt the overwhelming urge to lean out the side of the car and open his mouth to let his tongue hang loose. Upon seeing it, Jamie did the same and Marcus giggled. “What are you doing?” He asked the lupine.

“It felt natural.” The wolf replied.

“Pfft! Okay.”

In the front, Abraham giggled and took a turn towards the mall. It was massive, having three floors in total and over a hundred stores. When they entered, Kovac froze on the spot. There were so many people walking around, all sorts of different kinds of smells from the food court that made him salivate and tons of different flashing lights from the floating advertisement blocks in the air. “This is… incredible.” He whispered. “If I hadn’t done what I did at Sargasso, I would have never been able to see this. And you would’ve been dead.”  
  
“What was that bud?” Marcus asked.

“N-nothing. It was nothing. All of this is a little overwhelming though.”

The vulpine reached for his hand. “Better now?”  
  
Kovac smiled. “Yes.” 

“So K,” Piper began. “Where you wanna go first?”  
  
“How should I know?” He giggled. “I’ve never seen a store. I just wore whatever Wolf gave me.”

“What do you think your style is?”

Kovac looked down at himself and realized he was still wearing the same jeans and shirt that Krystal had given him. He was really enjoying them, more than his usual turtleneck and lab coat. They were comfortable enough to sleep in and were flexible enough for him to do combat training. So, he asked for any stores similar to his outfit, and there were a few.

The group brought him to a store that sold mainly jeans. Expensive jeans. Kovac knew about prices, as he would usually have to write down a value for the organs he would sell on the black market. While the jeans were hardly anything in comparison, he realized that they may not have that kind of money. And that he had no money. He was about to ask for pricing when a worker, a kiwi girl in her late thirties came up to them. “Hey y’all,” She greeted, recognizing them. “Oh! Abraham, I think we finally have something in your size.”  
  
He blinked in surprise. “Really now? I’d like to see them, but we’re here for him. He’s never been shopping before and we need someone who can help him out.”

“Really now?” She asked. 

“Yep. He could really use the help.”  
  
“Oh damn,” The woman whispered, looking up at Kovac. “You’re the boy who saved Marcus, right? I saw you on the news.”   
  
He nodded. “That’s me, yes.”   
  
“You’re a brave boy. Tell you what, first pair of jeans, on us.”   
  
“Oh, thank you!”   
  
“And I’ll pay for whatever else.” Piper stated. “Grandpa keeps my mom and I loaded.”   
  
Kovac giggled. Peppy has been dead for a while, but the will he left his daughter and granddaughter was huge. They wouldn’t have to work a day in their lives, but the two still have their own ambitions. 

Kindly, the woman named Brittney took the group to the back of the store where jean sizes for taller people like Kovac were. She picked out three pairs of jeans in different shades of blue and had Kovac change in the room while Marcus looked at the tops they sold. He found one, which was a loose half top with orange, blue and white stripes on it in various sizes and two straps to hold it up. Figuring that Kovac would look good in it, he threw it over the changing room door and told the lupine to try it on.

And so he did, taking off his shirt and throwing on the half top. It made him sigh in relief, the pressure was taken off of his ribs and it felt a lot better.

When Kovac came out, all of them widened their eyes. He had taken off his glasses for whatever reason and had a hand brushing his head fur. So when he stepped out in front of them, he looked like a model in the skinny jeans and half top which showed off his abs. “How does it look?”  
  
Immediately, Marcus got a nose bleed to go with his blushing. Jessie looked away, whispering to himself that he’s straight and Bonnie did the same thing, say that she’s a lesbian with a gender identity crisis. Piper smirked coolly, scanning his body up and down as she took a photo. Earl gave him a flat face and Abraham smiled warmly. “It looks like you’ve given our little Marcus a bit of a nose bleed.”   
  
“W-what?!” The lupine asked, worried for his friend. “Marcus, tilt your head forwards, I’ll find a paper towel or something!”   
  
“I-It’s fine.” Marcus replied, wiping the blood away. “I’m good now.”   
  
“How did that even happen? I’ve never heard of nose bleeds with intense blushing.” His eyes rounded. “Oh… you’re blushing. So I assume I look good in this?”   
  
“Damn kid.” Brittney stated. “You need to buy that. It looks really good on you.”   
  
“I think I will then. Let me try on the others.” 

While he tried those, Marcus and Piper grabbed more half tops, like one that only wrapped around his chest and another that was like a thin sweater with puffy arms and cuffs. He put those on as well and this time, Piper took a picture of him and posted it with the caption. “Marcus’ new man.” without telling any of them. She knew it would blow up and hopefully push them together a bit. Even if she knew she really shouldn’t be doing that. 

When he was done shopping at that store, Kovac had three new outfits and Abraham had his first pair of jeans, which actually fit him. The lupine walked out of the store wearing the first outfit he tried on, which did catch a few passing glances. “Why are they looking at me?” He asked.

“Well for one, they’re probably looking at Abraham, who is right behind you.” Earl replied, gesturing to the tall buck. “And two… well, it ain’t for me, but people probably think you’re hot and want to look at ya.”

“Oh, I see.”

“I know I like the sight.” Marcus whispered, still holding his friend’s hand.

“What was that?” The lupine asked.

“Oh nothing… nothing at all.”  
  
Kovac didn’t press and let the group take him to another store, where he bought a new pair of tennis shoes and some large boots that went up to the center of his shins. It was a bit offsetting to the outfit, but it was also what made it pop even more. Plus they were comfortable and easy to move in. Then they decided to get him an outfit for the fancy party he was going to attend with Fox. The Gentleman’s department store salesman was not very welcoming. “I’m sorry,” He apologized, scanning Kovac up and down. “We don’t serve your people here.”   
  
“You don’t serve wolves?” The lupine replied, tilting his head. “You have a whole canine section.”   
  
“Not that. I’m saying that we don’t have anything that’s a half top or in rainbow colors.” 

The group got enraged, minus Kovac, who still didn’t quite understand, but Abraham held them all back, stepping in front of them and spreading his arms. He looked down at the short man with his eyes closed. “I’m sorry sir, I’m afraid we weren’t asking.” He opened his eyes, freezing the canine man. “You’re going to serve my friend. Furthermore you’re going to give him 10% off. Is that clear?”

“Y-yes sir.” The man replied, nodding his head rapidly. “Right this way, y-young man.”  
  
While he was still confused as to why the man refused to serve him a mere moment ago, Kovac followed him to the canine section and put on a maroon vest with a dark gray dress shirt underneath and pants to match. Deciding it wasn’t good enough for his friend, Marcus grabbed a dark gray fedora with a maroon stripe on it and threw it on the lupine’s head. Kovac looked at himself in the mirror and adjusted the hat. “It looks good Marcus.” He stated. “Sir, I’ll take this outfit, please.”   
  
“Right away.” The nervous man replied.

As Kovac changed back into his usual clothes in the dressing room, he looked at his bare body in the mirror. The swelling in his ribs were a lot worse. And if it was broken like he assumed, there could be dangerous shards that could puncture his lungs. He needed to get into the hospital, but he didn’t want to spoil the mood. They were all having fun, and he didn’t want to stop it.

So, he put the half top back on and took a deep breath. Now that he actually saw the severity of the injury, it felt so much worse. With a growl, he stepped out of the changing room and reunited with the group. Now that he had a few outfits, they went to other places like a gaming store. All of it was strange to Kovac, who had no idea what any of the gaming systems were and video games were. So he just followed Marcus around. “No way!” The vulpine exclaimed. “They have Combat Immortal Limited Edition?! I have to get it!”  
  
“Why is it a limited edition?” Kovac asked. “Could they not just produce more?” 

“Well yeah, they could, but this is a limited time. They’re trying to sell more at a higher price for only a few extra things.”  
  
“So you’re buying this for more money despite there being almost different… knowingly?”

“Yeah pretty much.”  
  
Kovac raised an eyebrow. Why was he so flagrant with his money? The idea of consumer culture was strange to him. Simply put, it was wasteful. One of the things his father actually taught him was that he could never waste anything. Every organ he harvested had a purpose and could be sold. Even the large intestine could be sold. And those he couldn’t sell were good for experiments. 

As Marcus checked out, Kovac talked to Earl. “All of this seems like somewhat of a waste of time.” He said to the toad. “What does one gain out of playing these games?”  
  
“Instant satisfaction.” Earl answered. “Games reward you with achievements and saying things like ‘you win’ or ‘you’re the champion.’ Honestly I find them a waste of time too.”   
  
“But you seem interested in them?”   
  
“I am, a bit. Some games are actually really stimulating. Strategy games keep you on your toes and help you improve your organizational skills.”   
  
“I see. Still, all of this is odd to me.”   
  
“Don’t worry pal, you’ve only been here two days, you’ll get the hang of things.”   
  
To show his support, he patted Kovac’s side twice, making the lupine grunt in pain. Earl was a bit confused, but the lupine played off like it was nothing, despite the severe burning of his broken ribs. He managed to get himself to stand up straight as Marcus finished up checking out. With his new game, they decided to go to a jump zone. 

While he was very confused as to what that meant, he followed them to a large room that was filled with trampolines. People of all ages were jumping around and having fun. However, Kovac was nervous. It would be killer on his ribs. He attempted to sit it out, but Marcus pulled him out onto the field of trampolines. 

And he was right, as soon as he made a jump, the kinetic energy travelled up to his ribs and made him lose balance. “You’re such a clutz!” Marcus teased. “Come on, you can do it!”  
  
“M-Marcus,” The lupine grunted. “I can’t.”   
  
“Sure you can!” He pressed. “Bet you can’t catch me though!”   
  
“I’m sorry Marcus. I can’t get up.”   
  
The vulpine dropped his playful self and bounced over to his friend. Seeing that he was gripping his ribs, Marcus moved his hand, allowing him to see the intense swelling. “Kovac!” He exclaimed. “Have you had this the entire time?”

“Y-yeah,” The lupine replied. 

“Shit, it’s really bad. Come on, we need to get you to a hospital.”

Seeing what was going on, Abraham walked over and Marcus filled him in on what was happening. The buck nodded softly and picked the lupine up gently bridal-style. He carried Kovac all the way back to the car and laid him down in the back, laying his head down on Marcus’ lap. Only Earl came with them, riding shotgun while the others had to call someone else to give them a ride back to their homes. 

Abraham wasted no time, stepping on the gas and booking it to the hospital. He was a real speed demon, making the three passengers very nervous. Especially Kovac, who did not have a seat belt. But the buck was able to take his turns carefully, getting them to the hospital safely. Immediately Kovac was given an x-ray and the doctor saw that two of his ribs were broken, but one was shattered into a bunch of pieces, stabbing at his lungs and muscles. 

By that time, Marcus had called his parents and the two came in. Kovac was already in surgery, as they had to operate fast. His lung was collapsing and he needed to be treated immediately. A kind nurse sat the family and friends down in a lounge area. “Don’t worry,” She stated. “Doctor Ridley is a brilliant surgeon. He’ll save your friend’s life.”  
  
“I-I don’t understand.” Marcus mumbled. “How did he not notice?”   
  
“I think he did.” Earl stated. “I gave him a pat at the game store and he doubled over in pain. He told me it was nothing…”   
  
“And you didn’t say anything to me?!” 

“H-he told me it was nothing.”  
  
“Come on Earl, you’re smarter than that! Ugh! He might be dying because of you!”   
  
Fox opened his mouth to speak, but Abraham beat him to it. “Don’t say that. This is mostly Kovac’s fault, really.”   
  
Marcus was enraged immediately. “How so?! Tell me why it’s his fault or so help me god!”   
  
The buck glared, freezing the vulpine. “He knew he was injured but he bit his tongue. I have an idea as to why he did it, but this was the result regardless.”   
  
“Why would he not tell us he was injured?! He’s not stupid.”   
  
“Love can make you do stupid things for someone. Like bearing an injury to see someone else happy.” 

Marcus widened his eyes and blushed. He turned his head away quickly and stared down at the floor. For the next hour and a half he was like that, wondering what was happening. Did Kovac withstand his injury just to make him happy? If he did, he was pissed, but at the same time, it made him blush and his heart fluttered. 

Eventually, the nurse returned, saying that Kovac’s surgery was a success and he was resting, waiting for the anesthesia to wear off. So when the group walked in, Kovac was unconscious in the hospital bed. The only sign of life showing was the slow raising and falling in his chest. Seeing that he was alive brought tears to Marcus’ eyes and he rushed to his side, sitting on the side of the bed and rubbing his head while the others watched from the side. “You idiot.” He whispered in a cracked voice. “I know you’re smarter than this.”  
  
Kovac’s face tensed for a second before his eyes squinted open. He gazed over at the blue vulpine sitting next to him, bringing a smile to his face. “Hey Marcus,” He greeted.

“Kovac…” The smaller teen whispered, full of relief. “Thank god you’re okay.”  
  
“Still hurts there and my head is foggy, but yes, I’m fine.” 

Seeing that his friend was okay, Marcus let his anger loose. “You’re such an idiot!” He scolded. “Why didn’t you tell me you were hurt?!”  
  
“Sorry, you looked like you were having so much fun. And I was too. Every second with you I enjoy.”   
  
Marcus blushed. “B-But it’s not worth your life! You could’ve died.”   
  
“Strangely… I think it would’ve been worth it. The only reason I never killed myself before was really because I didn’t want to let Wolf win. Now that I’m out here, I feel as if I can die at any point and be happy.”

“You’re so stupid! If you died I wouldn’t have you!” He bit his lips to hold back the tears. “And I don’t want that.”

“We’ve only known each other for a few days and you feel this way?” He asked. “Of course I feel close to you, but not wanting to live in a world without me is quite the stretch. You have other friends.”  
  
“You don’t get it!” Marcus yelled, holding his friend’s face. 

“Marcus, what are you doing?”

“Just shut up.”  
  
Without thinking, Marcus kissed the lupine, making his eyes widen while the vulpine’s closed. Everyone in the room aside from Fox and Abraham were surprised by the sight. Krystal was the only one who didn’t get over her shock. As soon as they separated, she slammed her foot down. “No!” She yelled. “You cannot be gay!”

“The hell?” Fox asked, immediately getting angry. “What the fuck are you saying?”  
  
“I’m saying that Marcus isn’t allowed to be gay. We’re the last of our species, he needs to carry on the bloodline so my people don’t go extinct!”   
  
The father blinked his eyes in shock. “Excuse me? Our son has no obligation to carry on some bloodline! I know I don’t want him to carry on mine if that’s not what he wants!”

“Kovac,” She growled, ignoring her husband. “You’re not allowed back in my house. Ever!”  
  
“Hold up now!” Fox yelled.

A huge argument broke out between the couple, bringing more tears to Marcus’ eyes. Abraham was in so much shock that he even froze, his unwavering calmness broken. And Earl left the room, being unable to handle the tension. But when Krystal called Kovac a fag, the lupine flinched. A fag was one of his father’s favorite things to call him. It brought back a lot of memories, causing him to lash out. “ENOUGH!” He roared, picking himself up despite the pain. “Enough yelling and enough fighting! If you’re going to do it, get the hell out!”

All of them were taken aback by the quiet lupine’s sudden outburst. Fox stared at the lupine teen and he only saw Wolf laying there. The expression of rage, the fury in his eyes and the menacing glare of his teeth all made the vulpine froze as his mind went back to the Lylat wars. 

Finally, after the tense moment of silence, Abraham nodded softly and started to try and push the parents out of the room. As he left, he spoke. “Kovac, if these two can’t resolve the issue, you’re more than welcome to stay with me. My couch is a pullout, you can sleep there.”  
  
“Thanks Abraham.” He replied. “I’ll take you up on that offer. I have no desire to be around Mrs. McCloud.”   
  
“Neither do I.” Marcus added. “Can I stay as well?”   
  
“My door’s always open.” The tall buck answered with a smile. “Whenever they let you go, I’ll be here to pick you two up.”   
  
Krystal spoke up. “Hold up now, I didn’t-” 

Not missing a beat, Abraham smacked the mother in the back of the head, hard. “Quiet you.” He ordered. “I don’t want to hear a peep out of you until we’re out of earshot of those two.”

“Thank you Abraham.” Fox said.

“You too. I’m angry with both of you; not having the restraint to take your argument somewhere else.” He picked them up by their collars without any effort thanks to his enhanced muscle fibers. “We’re taking this outside.”

Once the three were out, Earl stepped back in, holding his hat in his hands. “Hey, everything’s gonna be alright. Let me know if you need anything.” He said.

“I will Earl. Thanks.” Marcus replied.

“Alright. Get better Kovac.”

“I will.”

Once Earl closed the door, Marcus looked down at his friend and calmly stroked his face. More tears fell, causing the same from the lupine. Soon, he laid down next to his injured partner, resting one arm over his chest, away from his injury. “I’m sorry for randomly kissing you.” He apologized.

“It’s okay, I didn’t mind it. I just felt weird during it, is all.”

“How so?”  
  
“It felt as if my heart was a drum. My stomach felt weird too and I felt a strange sensation that spread from my lips down to my entire body.” He looked down. “Oh I’m becoming erect.”

Marcus turned completely red. “W-WHAT?!”  
  
“It seems that you’ve aroused me. I’m curious, I haven’t been stimulated in such a way before. Do you have a paper and pen? I’d like to record my bodily reactions.”

“How are you so… analytical about this? It means I turned you on!”  
  
“It seems that you did. I wonder if this is the same for women. Do you think I’m a homosexual? Pardon, are you one?”   
  
The vulpine winced. “I uh… maybe… I don’t know.”   
  
“Your mother said you weren’t allowed to be gay. Why does she not wish for you to be happy?”   
  
“What?”   
  
“Gay means happy.” The lupine tilted his head. “My dictionary said so, at least.”   
  
He snickered. “You’re so weird! Sure it used to mean gay, but now it means homosexual.”   
  
“Curious. I wonder how that changed… and how old my dictionary is.” He giggled, followed by a sigh. “Your whole society is so alien to me. Most times I feel like an outcast. When you were with your friends, I felt as if I didn’t belong, even though you all tried your hardest to find common ground with me. Your friends are sweet, but I don’t know if they’re my friends too.”

Marcus frowned. “So what are you going to do?”  
  
“Your dad is planning on taking me to one of his work parties with a bunch of medical professors. I think I’ll make some friends there.”

“That sounds awesome. Want me to come with?”  
  
“Will you have any fun? I want it to be an enjoyable experience for you too.”

“Well…” The vulpine sighed. “I probably wouldn’t. Sorry.”

“Then don’t come. I’ll be fine on my own. Promise.”

“Will you stay with Abraham? I’m going to miss sleeping next to you.”

“He said we could both stay. And we can share the bed he talked about. Hopefully it’s big enough for both of us.”  
  
“Yeah. Wait until you see his place, it’s awesome.”   
  
Kovac breathed deeply. “I’m sure it is. Listen, Marcus, I’m very sleepy. You should go home and sort things out with your parents.”   
  
The vulpine laid down next to him in the bed. “I’m good. I’d rather stay here.”

Somehow, Marcus managed to fall asleep first, leaving Kovac to his existentialism. He was only thinking about how much he was hated by Krystal. It was too familiar to his father. Was Wolf right? Was he really that unwanted? But the warm body next to him assured him otherwise, yet doubt still remained. 

Meanwhile, Abraham mediated the argument between Fox and Krystal, who couldn’t come to an agreement. Fox insisted that Kovac was more than welcome in their household, while his wife believed they should kick him out for turning their son gay. “Marcus kissed first!” Fox argued. “We all saw it!”  
  
“T-that boy… he did something. He’s special. When I read his mind, he noticed me. There’s something going on with him that he’s not telling us. And whatever it is, it seduced our son!”   
  
Her husband looked at her like she was insane. As did Earl. “Lady you’re going crazy.” The toad stated.

“I’m not crazy!” She replied. “I know there’s something odd in that brain of his. He’s not Cerinian like me, but he’s something. I’m not sure what that something is, but I know he’s different.”  
  
“Well he’s obviously a prodigy.” Abraham stated. “I’m sure that does something to his head. Top that with Wolf’s abuse, and I’m sure his mind is a sensitive place.”   
  
“No one has ever noticed me before. I swear I’m going to discover who his mother was.”   
  
Fox sighed. “I agree with that. He at least has a right to know who his mother was. And if she was something a bit more than normal, then we should investigate it. But that doesn’t mean he seduced our son! I don’t blame the kid for falling in love with him. If it wasn’t for Kovac our son would be dead! Would you rather have Marcus be dead and straight, or alive and gay?”   
  
That silenced Krystal quickly, bowing her head down and shutting her mouth. None of them could tell if she’d rather have Marcus be dead or knew that she was backed into a corner. So, she stormed out of the hospital and to the car. Knowing he’d have to leave soon too, Fox went back to Kovac's room. Marcus was fast asleep, but Kovac still had his eyes open. He noticed the vulpine immediately and his eyes darted over to the door. “Oh, hello Mr. McCloud.”   
  
“Hey Kovac. I have some things for you.”   
  
Sitting in the chair beside the bed, Fox pulled out a new phone. He handed it to Kovac, who looked at it with curiosity. “You’re gonna need it. I got it while you were out with Marcus. He’ll show you how it works.”

Fox reached into his back pocket and gripped the pistol he had given Kovac earlier in the day. He wanted to pull it out, but the image of Wolf was burned into his head. He knew that Kovac was nothing like his father, but the paranoid part of his brain prevented him from pulling it out. After a deep breath, he pulled the gun out and handed it to Kovac. “And this is yours,” He said. “You’re alone in a hospital. Bill’s sending guards here but I want to make sure you’re at least armed.”  
  
“Oh, thank you Mr. McCloud. Are you sure?”   
  
“A-Absolutely.” He stuttered out. “I’m sorry Kovac… I just… ugh, when I saw how mad you were, all I saw was Wolf. It’s a hard image to get out of my head. I know you’re not him but-”   
  
Kovac cut him off. “You have PTSD from the war. I’m sure Wolf is engraved in there somewhere. Trust me, he’s engraved in me too.” 

Fox snickered. “You’re strong, Kovac. Stronger than he ever could be and stronger than me.” He looked the lupine in his eyes. “I know my son is in safe hands.”  
  
“Thank you Fox. I promise I’ll keep your son safe.” He looked down at the sleeping vulpine. “I love him more than life itself… he is my life. Without him, I couldn't go on. He’s all I have, all I’ll protect him with all my might.”   
  
A small tear rolled down Fox’s eye as he stood up. With a pat on his son’s shoulder and a fist bump to Kovac, he walked out. As he left, two guards posted up on each side of the hospital room door. It made him feel a bit of relief, but it certainly did not help the tension in his car as he drove back home with his wife. 

To no one’s surprise, they did not sleep in the same bed that night. Fox grabbed a pillow and blanket, and slept on the couch. Meanwhile, his wife meditated, attempting to discover something about Kovac’s mother, even if it was in vain. Yet, as she meditated, she heard a voice. “Stay away from my son, you filthy Cerinian.” The voice whispered.

The voice made Krystal jump and broke her meditative state. In the corner of the room, she could see a leopard woman with no legs. She was floating off the ground with a look of scorn on her face. Upon being spotted, her body dissipated into nothingness. Immediately, Krystal knew what Kovac was, and it frightened her. She thought their kind was wiped out. Then again, when their elder was slew, his last words were that his kind would live on while the Cerinians would go extinct.

The realization made Krystal pass out, her heart and mind in shock at the revelation that had just dissipated from her room. Not long after, the spirit reformed in a hospital room where a certain vulpine and lupine laid together fast asleep. She floated to the side of the bed and softly stroked the cheek of her son. Whispers in another language caused a small glow of the lupine’s forehead before disappearing a mere second later. With a smile, the woman dissipated herself once again, leaving the couple to a peaceful sleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh I have been so busy. School is back in full swing and my AP classes are slapping me across the face. I'm doing fine, but I don't have a lot of time for this. Updates will be a lot slower from now on, but I think it's a good thing. I think it helps me improve the quality of my work and I hope it's noticeable.


	6. It's Raining

A nurse in a busy hospital walked into the room of one of her patients, moving past two guards who patted the dove woman down for weapons. The poor boy came in with broken ribs that punctured his ribs. His surgery was rough, but he made it through, but he’ll be stuck in the hospital for a few days. The security was concerning, however. Why did a teen need so much?   
  
On the bed, she saw two people laying down. One was a blue vulpine who was curled up against a light gray wolf. She remembered the commotion yesterday. A mother screaming about her son being gay was not an unfamiliar sight. She once punched a homophobe for that exact reason. The two must be a couple. However, she did find the sudden explosion a bit odd. Maybe the woman was having a rough day beforehand and discovering the two was what pushed her over the ledge.

Her entrance seemed to startle the vulpine awake, who slowly lifted himself up. “Oh hello nurse.” He greeted. “What brings you in here?”   
  
“Just checking on the patient’s condition. Would you mind if I woke him up?”

“I’ll do it.”   
  
Gently, the vulpine boy patted his friend’s face. “Hey Kov, a nurse is here to check on you.”   
  
“Mmm?” He mumbled. “Oh… alright.”   
  
“Do you feel any different today?” She asked him.

He held his head. “My head hurts. It feels like someone burned something into it. It’s actually pretty bad.”

“That’s a pretty common side effect of the anesthesia. You should be fine in an hour or so.”   
  
“Alright.”   


While the nurse checked up on Kovac, his head kept on throbbing. In his vision, black spots began to appear, making him groan and hold his head. Marcus held his shoulder gently, concerned for his friend, who seemed to be in more pain than when he broke his ribs. Soon, he randomly whipped his head up and his eyes shot open. They went completely white as his vision was filled with images. 

It was from his own perspective still, but the outlines of his vision were incredibly foggy. In it, he could see a cheetah woman walking towards him. She sat down on the side of the bed and rubbed his thigh. “I’m sorry sweetie,” She apologized. “I know it hurts, but it’s a gift that will help you.”   
  
“W-who are you?” He asked, never opening his mouth to speak.

“I’m your mother, Kovac. And I’m so sorry for leaving you with your awful father. I thought he changed, but when I died, I guess he went back to his awful self.”

“What’s happening to me?”   
  
“It’s my gift. With it, you’ll catch glimpses of the near future, for you are now connected to the Time Tree Bashveil.”   
  
His vision went black again and when it returned, he was floating above a massive tree. There were many other people floating around it, all who shared some similarities with his mother. The woman took him by the hand and flew him down into the tree, smiling softly. “Stay with us my son, we understand you.”

Meanwhile, three doctors, including the one who operated on Kovac, had gathered. On the bed, he sat straight up, his arms and shoulders slumped, head up with his mouth and eyes wide open. Marcus sat on the chair next to the bed and watched as the doctors attempted to snap him out of his strange state. “He’s almost vegetated.” Doctor Ridley stated. “But there weren’t any brain injuries.”

“Well you had to do something.” The other doctor replied. “His eyes are completely white! They weren’t like that earlier, were they?”   
  
“No.” Marcus answered. “He has the most stunning yellow eyes.”

‘Someone’s a little in love.’ The nurse thought to herself, smirking. ‘I hope that poor boy’s okay.’

Marcus kept on watching as the doctors performed more tests. Shining a light in his eye, testing his gag reflex to see if it would wake him. Eventually, the female doctor, an armadillo woman, got so frustrated she slapped him across the face. Marcus was angry, but to be fair, she was only trying to help. 

Now he was just worried. Kovac just possibly put himself into a vegetative state because of him ignoring an injury. So not only was he worried, he was also pissed off. He began to slam his fist down on his lap, eventually hitting himself hard enough to bruise his leg. After that, he began to cry. 

He cried for about a minute before he came up with an idea. In his high emotional state, he could project his emotions onto others. Closing his eyes, he attempted to project his emotions like his mother taught him. Soon, a light, see-through blue wave spread across the room and everyone in there was brought to tears. Their emotions were so strong they were practically paralyzed, falling to the ground crying for no reason of their own. Even Kovac did, whose white eyes began to stream down tears. A second later, his eye color returned and he gasped softly. He looked over to Marcus immediately, who stopped projecting his emotions so everyone could stop crying. “Marcus,” The lupine said softly. “Why are you crying?”   
  
“You’re okay!” He exclaimed, launching himself at Kovac. 

Marcus wrapped himself around Kovac and kissed his cheek. The lupine laughed in response and kissed the top of his head in return. When they were done, they stared at one another in the eyes. “What happened?” Marcus asked, rubbing the side of his face.

“My mother… She tried to take me away.” He replied.

“Y-Your mother? What do you mean she tried to take you away?”   


“She told me that I’d stay with her in this strange… plane of existence. There were people like her and me there, but…” He smiled. “I didn’t want to stay. I wanted to be here with you.”

“How’d she take it?”   
  
He snickered. “Not well. She turned into this weird demon thing and tried to keep me there. But when you reached out with your emotions, you saved me. So thank you.”   
  
“So your mom sucks too, huh?”

“I’m not sure… she seemed to truly love me and seemed sorry for, you know, dying.” He laughed again. “But I think she’s just a little overbearing.”

“No kidding. I’m glad I could save you, but do you think she’ll return?”   
  
“She screamed something about how this was her only chance to take me as I left, so I hope that she’s gone for good. But if I fall into a trance again, I have you to rely on.”

Marcus blushed softly and rubbed Kovac’s hand. The lupine wanted to tell him something, but he didn’t know how to put it into words. It was the strongest feeling in his chest that seemed to want to scream out like an opera singer, but he bit his tongue and hugged his friend. With him in a stable condition, the doctors left, leaving them with the nurse. “Hey Marcus,” Kovac said softly. “What are we?”   
  
“I…” Marcus sighed. “I don’t know. It seems fast, but I know I want to be with you. You’re like no one else I know. So kind, really handsome and you’re super smart.” He suddenly glared. “But so stupid at the same time.”   
  
Kovac flinched. Those words hurt a little, but he had it coming. He opened his mouth to speak when his vision suddenly got fuzzy again. The headache returned, but it was a lot less painful. Marcus watched as Kovac’s eyes turned white again and he froze. He was about to wake him up again after a few seconds when his eyes turned back to normal. “There’s going to be a Code Triage-External.” He stated. “People are going to be coming in from a big explosion downtown Corneria City. They’ll be understaffed and people will die if I don’t help.”

“How soon is this going to happen?” Marcus asked.

“I-I’m not sure. A few seconds, minutes, hours, even? I can’t even begin to guess. But I know which building it is. The east wing of the Planetary Defense Building is going to explode thanks to a power failure.”

“C-Can we do something?!” 

“Not that I can think of. But I can help the survivors.” He looked to the nurse. “Nurse, tell everyone to prepare for a Code Triage-External. I’ll help. Get me some scrubs and I’ll do what I can.”   
  
“Hold up now,” She replied. “What are you even talking about?”   


“Wait hold up,” Marcus said, pulling out his phone. “Oh my god, I just got a news alert. The Defense Building had an explosion. They’re telling everyone in the area to stay away.”   
  
“Holy shit,” The nurse swore. “And we’re going to be the first responders to that.”   
  
“And you’re going to need all the help you can get.” Kovac forced himself out of bed, despite the pain and fatigue. “I-I’ll be fine.”   
  
Marcus watched in awe as Kovac walked forwards, albeit slowly, to go get himself scrubs and a white coat. He fueled himself off the determination to help others, nothing more. It made him want to do what he could to help as well. So, Kovac ‘employed’ him as his nurse. In that moment, Marcus thought of role-playing, despite never once having the opportunity to. 

He snapped out of it quickly when a Code Triage-External was announced and patients started flooding in from the incident. Kovac went straight to the ICU with Marcus and the nurse, who was more familiar with the machines and systems. While she was concerned for the patients, she couldn't’ quite believe herself that she let a teenager help her save lives. He has no degree, no professional medical experience or even any real education. She was about to kick him out when he started talking like a doctor who has been on the job for decades. His words were backed up by his actions, quickly beginning a improve operation on the first patient.

From there, it was chaos. People were coming in and needed immediate treatment. And that was when Kovac started to break down. He was pushing himself hard with his ribs and he was starting to feel the pressure. Sure he used to harvest people, but operating on so many people so quickly when they all needed attention was like the most blood circus. 

Seeing that he was starting to lose his calm, Marcus grabbed onto his coat with both hands, pulled him down to his level and kissed him. The lupine widened his eyes in shock and said nothing when Marcus let go. “You got this. Show them how smart you are.”   
  
“O-Okay.” He replied. “Thank you…”   
  
“No problem. Now get to it, I’ll be right behind you.”   
  
Just as he said that, Kovac had another vision. A patient was about to come in who was on death’s doors. Quickly, he ran to the gurney carrying her in. She was missing half of her face and her right arm was blown off. She had shards of metal all over the place, including one lodged into her chest. Immediately Kovac took action, getting the actual nurse and Marcus to lay her in an ICU bed to treat her. He began to attempt to clot the blood immediately, but then he saw one that had hit her heart, but wasn’t deep enough to completely destroy it. 

He did everything he could possibly do to not remove that piece in her heart, but with each beat, the heart was being torn up. She would need to be taken into intensive surgery, but all of the other doctors were already in there. He’d have to do it himself. “Nurse,” Kovac stated. “Prep a surgery room for an invasive heart operation. We’ll meet you there once I’ve stabilized the patient.”   
  
She was hesitant to follow his orders, but looking around, she knew that no one else was qualified. So, with a heavy sigh, she ran off to prep one of the surgery rooms. While she did that, Kovac sedated the patient to slow down her heart beat and calm her. “There,” He said. “That should at least slow how fast her heart gets cut up.”   
  
“Can you really do this Kovac?” Marcus asked. 

“I… I’m not sure, but I know if we don’t do something she’ll definitely die.”

The vulpine nodded in response and helped Kovac push the bed down to the operating room. Before they went in, they both did the proper hand washing procedures, put on disposable masks and put on their gloves. 

With that, they began to operate. Like with his autopsies back at his old home, he fell into it, his pupil’s narrowing like a feline’s. Everything seemed so clear to him. He saw all of her internal organs like her flesh was see-through. However, her heart was what needed to be dealt with first.

Marcus helped, of course, holding her chest open with a retractor while Kovac did all the fancy stuff like cutting out her ribs and using a blood-thinner to prevent clotting while he operated. Holding her open was a lot tougher than he had previously thought. Who knew holding open a rib cage, muscles and flesh would be so exhausting?

However, Kovac’s efforts seemed to be in some vain. Despite being totally focused in, there were other, smaller, metal shards that had broken off from the main piece of shrapnel. Yet he remained focused until he heard the monitor flatline. He looked up and his pupils dilated back to normal. Marcus looked shocked that he had died and the nurse seemed sad, but had an expression that she knew that was going to be the outcome. “Time of death: 9:37 on October 27th.” He coldly stated.    
  
“C-Can’t we like… shock her or something?” Marcus asked, desperate. “The paddles, right?”   
  
“Marcus her heart is ruined.” Kovac replied. “It won’t bring her back. Trust me, I…” He shook his head and his voice got really thin. “I wish there was more we could do too.”

“But we have to try!” The vulpine argued, feeling the realization that a woman had died right under him. “Come on Kovac, don’t just give up!”   
  
“You think I wanted her to die?!” He yelled. “You think I wouldn’t try my hardest to save this woman’s life?!”   
  
“Maybe you should’ve let someone else handle it then! Cause clearly you’re not cut out for it!”

The lupine was about to explode at his friend, but he bit his tongue and turned around. Despite his injury, he stormed out of the operating room, leaving his gloves, mask and coat behind. After getting far enough away, he started to walk down the halls of the hospital, eventually coming across a church. It seemed so calm in there, with the lights off as the strong autumn winds pushed against the walls loudly enough for him to hear. The only thing lighting the room was a few candles. So, he entered, walking in with his bloody scrubs and sweaty, matted fur.

He sat down in one of the center rows and buried his hands into his face. It felt like he was stabbed in the back. He gave it his all to try and save that woman, but that just wasn’t good enough for Marcus. If it wasn’t for him, it certainly wasn’t going to be good enough for that poor woman’s family. Just thinking that caused his cries to grow louder, but not loud enough to disturb the tranquility of the church. Eventually, he felt a hand rest on his shoulder. He looked up to see an elderly wolf with dark gray fur and purple eyes wearing a black shirt and pants with a collar to show he’s the priest of the church. Kovac nearly thought it was Wolf and scrambled back. The man looked surprised, his eyes wide. After realizing he wasn’t really Wolf, he calmed down and apologized. “I’m sorry son, I didn’t mean to startle you.” The man replied.

“No, you’re fine.” Kovac said. “You just… look a lot like someone I know.”   
  
“And did this person cause you trauma?”   
  
He snickered humorlessly. “You have no idea.”   
  
“Do you care to tell me? I won’t pry, but it’s good to talk about things.”   


The man sat down next to Kovac in the pews. Instead of acknowledging him, the younger lupine said nothing and just cried some more. Seeing that he wasn’t going to open up about his past, the priest tried something else. “Why are you here, my son?”   
  
“I-I failed.” Kovac answered. “I was trying to save a woman, but her heart was just… it was just…”   
  
“Hush child, you have no need to speak anymore. I understand.”   


“It was my first surgery with a living patient. I’m not even a licensed doctor.” He chuckled again. “Ah, I sound insane now.”   
  
The elderly man smiled. “I’m sure there’s a lot more to the story that made you believe you could do it. So are you not a doctor here?”   
  
“No, I’m actually a patient.” He raised his shirt to show his stitches. “My lung collapsed because my broken rib punctured it.”   


The man whispered a small prayer, confusing Kovac. He had read about the major religions, and judging by the cross necklace, that was Christianity. Religions had always confused him, as they seemed to be made up of stories and no real factual evidence. Of course the people in them were real, but that was the extent of the facts. Things like turning water into wine were impossible logically. Then again, he’s been having glimpses of the future, so who was he to judge? “Tell me child, who do I remind you of?” The man asked, after finishing his prayer.

“Well… you remind me of my father. But he’s missing an eye.” Kovac looked over at him. “You look like you could be his dad, actually. Same fur, same eyes… same face…” The lupine grew more concerned. “Same fur patterns, generally the same height and you look old enough.”

The elderly man dipped his head. “If your father is who I think he is, then yes, I am his father. And that makes me-”   
  
“My grandfather.” Kovac finished.

“Indeed. I am Wolf O’Donnell’s father. My name is Tony O’Donnell, but everyone calls me Father Bud.”   
  
Kovac stared at the man with his eyes wide. His expression was met by a calm one, who spread his arms out to hug his grandson.

Meanwhile, Marcus walked around the hospital looking for Kovac. He was worried about what the lupine was doing and how he handled trauma. Was he self destructive or the kind to just cry? It was the first of the two that made him worry the most. But he also knew it was his fault. A doctor came in later and the professional nurse went over what Kovac had done. In response, the doctor told them both that Kovac did exactly what he would have done. There was just no way of saving that woman’s life. So now Marcus felt awful for blowing up at him. 

Eventually, he walked past the church where he heard the soft, yet rich singing of hymns. He stopped and cracked the door open to see who was singing. There, sitting at the steps of the altar, was the priest and Kovac, who held a hymn book between them. It was the younger lupine’s smoker-like singing voice that stood out to Marcus the most. He seemed to put his heart and soul into it, making the vulpine wonder how he got so good at singing.

The lupine noticed him quickly. Just as quickly, he got up and walked out of the church through the outside exit. While he was confused as to why Kovac left, Marcus wasted no time in following his friend outside, ignoring the priest who was trying to speak to him. Like before, Kovac was faster than him, but thanks to his injury, he ended up having to slow down. “Kovac!” Marcus called out. “Please stop running! You’re going to get yourself hurt!”   
  
“I…” Kovac breathed deeply. “I… I don’t know what else to do. I tried my hardest and you just… just-”   
  
“I know.” The vulpine replied, holding back tears. “And I’m so, so, so sorry. I lost my cool and I got frantic. I blamed it on you when you did your best, even though there was nothing you could do.”   
  
“Wasn’t there? Did I do my best? If I was, she would’ve been alive.”   
  
“A doctor came in afterwards, he told us that he would’ve done the exact same thing. There was no saving her, and I’m sorry for getting it into your head that there was and then blaming you.”   
  
Kovac felt no relief with that response. He still felt awful, but he did agree to go back inside with Marcus. The priest was waiting for them with the door open and had a large, heavy quilt ready. Once inside, he sat them down on a pew and wrapped it around the two. It felt incredibly comfortable. Apparently, it was made by the man’s wife, also Kovac's grandmother. He went into the back for about two minutes before becoming back with two cups of black tea with lemon. After that, he left the two to sort things out. It took some effort on his own part, but Marcus spoke first, starting with something soft. “He seems like a nice man.”   
  
“He’s my grandfather.” Kovac replied. 

The vulpine widened his eyes. “Wait, seriously?”   
  
His friend nodded.

“Holy shit. That’s so crazy. Talk about God’s plan, right?”   
  
That got the lupine to chuckle, making Marcus smile as well. “I guess so.”   


It was silent again after that. Marcus could tell Kovac still blamed himself. He was about to ask about it when the lupine started speaking what the vulpine thought to be random. “I’ve been around dead bodies all my life. I’ve killed them, I’ve experimented on them and I’ve practically tortured them… and that was the only time I ever felt so awful for seeing someone die.” He turned to Marcus, his face stained with tears. “And I didn’t even do anything but try and save her. Why do I feel bad for her but not for the things I’ve done? Am I some kind of monster?”   
  
“Oh Kovac,” Marcus whispered, placing one hand on his face and the other holding one. “You’re not a monster. Now I can’t tell you why you don’t feel bad, but I can tell you that you had no choice when it came to your father. And maybe that is why you don’t feel bad; because you knew you had no choice.”

“But I should’ve done something. He always underestimated me and I should’ve used that to my advantage.”   
  
“Kov-”   
  
The lupine kept talking. “I should’ve used my medical knowledge and resources to poison him or something! I could’ve done something! But I was weak… I’m so weak.”   
  
“Not to me. Do you remember what my dad told you last night?”

Kovac nodded softly. All that Fox was told him was that he was strong, but gave no reason why. Yet he felt like he could trust the vulpine on what he said. Fox was just that kind of trustworthy person. “Do you believe it?” Marcus asked.

“Well… I believe he meant it, but I don’t know if I believe in myself. Why would he say that I’m strong?”   
  
“Because you survived it all, Kovac. Your entire life has been tortured and you’ve come out on top of it all. And that’s why you’re strong.”   
  
“If you say so.”   
  
Kovac took a sip of the tea and smiled. It was good. Marcus was just glad that the lupine was feeling better about himself. Then the man came back over smiling softly. “Say, I never got your name.”   
  
“Oh, my name is Kovac O-...” He cleared his throat. “Valentino.”

“Ah, you changed your name. Can’t say I blame you. Either way, where are you living now?”

“Well, I’m supposed to be living with Marcus and his family, but…”   
  
Seeing he was uncomfortable, Marcus finished for Kovac. “My mom freaked out when I kissed him.”   
  
His eyes widened softly. “I see. I’m terribly sorry she reacted so poorly. But my wife and I are very welcoming. We have two extra rooms.”   
  
Before Kovac answered, Marcus closed his eyes and asked to hold the man’s hand. He agreed and when they made contact, Marcus began to read his mind. After a solid minute of reading his mind, he found that Bud meant what he said. He had no ill intentions and was really the father of Wolf O’Donnell and a girl named Lily O’Donnell. “Who was Lily?” He asked.

Bud widened his eyes. “Lily? Lily was my daughter, Wolf’s younger sister. She was killed during a school shooting.”   
  
Marcus gasped softly, but Kovac only widened his eyes in response. “What?” The vulpine asked.

“Wolf had a sister… and when she died, he fell apart. At the time, I was an evangelical priest. I was what you’d consider radical and my wife was too. Wolf wanted answers as to why God would do this to us, and, at the time, we accepted it for what it was. And he got pissed. Our bad parenting and his grievances eventually led him to the life where he is now.”   


Kovac was in shock. So Wolf was actually decent, like Fox said, and it was actually his sister’s death that led him to his life of crime. And all he could think of was that bat back on Sargasso. “Everyone has a story,” The young lupine whispered to himself. “It explains who they are and why they do the things they do.”

“T-That doesn’t excuse the awful things he’s done to Kovac though!” Marcus argued.

“I’m not saying that it does. What my son did was inexcusable and it changed us too." Father Bud stated. "My wife and I realized that God isn’t always the absolute answer and instead, He’s guidance. I wish I was better back then, perhaps I could’ve saved so many lives from him. But those are my sins to bear.”   
  
Rather suddenly, Kovac stood up. “I need a moment. This has all been so much for one day.”

Marcus stood up to follow him, but Bud grabbed his shoulder and shook his head. Kovac needed time to sort things out on his own. He just hated the idea of leaving the lupine alone, even if one of the guards was following close behind him while the other one stood at the entrance of the church. 

The lupine wasn’t sure where to go for a private, quiet place to think. It quickly made him feel overwhelmed and the pain in his ribs was returning. He had pushed himself way too much for having just undergone emergency lung surgery. Hell, it was practically a miracle he was still able to move. Eventually, he found the nurse that had been with him all day. As soon as he saw her, he smiled softly and collapsed from exhaustion. She caught him quickly and got another nurse to help carry him back to his room.

Once he was placed down in the bed and the nurses were out, he opened his eyes and looked up at the ceiling. It had a square shaped light that had a light in it that slowly changed colors. The lighting created the perfect atmosphere for him to think.

He had been through a lot in one day, and it was only twelve in the afternoon. Not only did he discover a lot about himself, he learned a lot about his father. And that bat, Lex, he couldn’t get him out of his head. That drug addict seemed like the only person Kovac could talk to about what he learned. But Lex was dead, thanks to him. A lot of people were dead thanks to him. Over a thousand, easily. And a lot more were still dying. Wolf had facilities all over Corneria, Sargasso was just his main hub. 

Regardless, Lex’s words echoed through Kovac’s head. Everyone has a story. A story that’s longer than any book trilogy or movie series. He hadn’t given it too much thought, but Wolf had a story too. Part of him actually pitied his father. His parents were neglectful and his sister was most likely the only person that felt like family. But Marcus was right. That doesn’t excuse the awful things he has done and why he kills so many innocent people now. Killing the person who shot his sister Kovac could understand, but going on to kill thousands for the sake of money? That was a bridge light years too far. 

And he had helped build that bridge. He came up with ways for his father to effectively kidnap people and worked out a system that was so perfect it was automated. Grant it, it was what Wolf told him to do, but like he thought, he could’ve done something to stop his father. And that was what he regretted the most. “I need to do something.” He whispered to himself. “I need to fight and stop his operations. I can’t let another person die because I was too scared.” He raised a hand and made a fist. “There’s no more time to be scared. The more time I take, the more that people die. But what can I do?”   
  
Kovac turned off his other senses to retreat into his little world to brainstorm. While he did that, Marcus talked to his parents, who both had come to visit Kovac. Krystal looked guilty and a general mess, but Fox looked as well kempt as ever. Marcus had just gotten done with telling all about what happened earlier in the day and the two surprised, to say the least. “That boy has guts.” Fox stated. “And seriously? His grandpa is a priest here?”   
  
“Trust me, I was surprised they’re even alive.” Marcus replied. “And uh… I have something to tell you about Wolf.”   
  
The son told the Wolf’s story. From the lupine’s sister to his neglectful parents, Marcus spared no detail that he was given. Fox nodded softly and even shed a tear for his former rival. Krystal, however, shared no such feelings, much like her son. “How’s Kovac then?” Fox asked.

“A mess.” He replied. “He’s pushed himself, so he’s in a lot of physical pain. And now he’s all these revelations plus… we got into a bit of a fight.”   
  
“What happened?”   
  
“I was being an asshole. The woman we tried to save died and I freaked out and blamed him for not doing his best. It wasn’t his fault, there was nothing the doctors would’ve been able to do either.”

“Dammit Marcus,” Fox swore, rubbing his eyes with two fingers. “We’ll talk about that later. Listen, there’s something we need to tell Kovac.”   
  
“What is it?”   
  
“Bill called us. He said that they have good reason to believe Wolf orchestrated the attack.”

Marcus cussed under his breath. As if Kovac needed more trauma in his day. “Can’t we just keep it between us three and mention it later?” He asked. “He’s had a really rough day.”   
  
“Marcus we can’t just keep this from him.”

“We should.” Krystal said. “Because I have a few things to tell him about his mother.”

“Oh come on.” The teen groaned. “Fine, fine! Let’s just mentally scar him all at once! Fucking-”   
  
Marcus kicked the nearest thing, which happened to be a concrete all. Immediately, he swore louder and hopped on one foot. His dad couldn’t help but giggle, earning him an elbow in the side from his wife. “Are you okay sweetie?” She asked.

“I-I probably broke it.” He replied.

“Seriously?” A familiar, feminine voice asked. “You two boys are a mess!”   
  
It was the nurse who had been with them nearly all day. She walked over and checked Marcus’ foot. He did end up dislocating his big toe, with the bone nearly piercing the skin. “Hold up,” She stated. “I got this.”   
  
“Wait what?”   
  
She held up two fingers. “Look at the bunny.”   
  
Marcus looked at her hand. “Huh?”   
  
With no warning, she quickly snapped back his toe, making him yelp and his parents laugh. Of course they felt bad for their son, but it was still funny to see. Afterwards, it still hurt, but it wouldn’t need a cast and would heal completely within the week as long as he doesn’t hit it on anything else.    
  
Now that his toe was better, they went down to Kovac’s room. They agreed to only tell him about his mother, who Krystal seems to know a lot about. However, Marcus demanded she apologize before she said anything to him. She agreed, albeit reluctant. 

She was the only one to walk into the room. It was a one on one conversation she felt she needed to do. When she saw Kovac, she felt bad. He still looked a mess and was staring up at the light that was still changing colors. It didn’t even seem like he noticed her. For a few seconds, she couldn’t say anything. She felt like a little kid who was standing at the edge of her parents’ bed to ask to sleep with them. Her words came out eventually. “Kovac?”   
  
The lupine picked his head up and turned towards her. He didn’t even seem surprised that she was there, nor was he hostile. “Are you alright?” She asked.

“No.” He replied. “A lot has happened today.”   
  
“Well, I’m about to add some more. I have information about your mom.”   
  
“How crazy she is?” The lupine sighed. “She talked to me. She tried to pull my mind from my body to keep her in this weird world.”   
  
“But you escaped?!” She exclaimed. “H-How?”   
  
“Marcus pulled me out.”   
  
“That’s… that shouldn’t be possible. Saving someone from the snatch of a Yincamori is impossible.”   
  
“Well he did it. And now I get glimpses of the future.”

Her eyes widened. “There have been stories of the Yincamori being able to see the future, but they had to see the Time Tree for themselves. Did you see it?”   
  
He nodded. “I did.”   
  
“So then you’re connected to it. And because of that, you’ll catch glimpses of the near future whenever lives in your area, or you, are in immediate danger.”   
  
“Sounds useful. Especially if I’m going to be stopping Wolf.”   
  
Krystal froze. “What?”   
  
“I’m going to stop Wolf. I could’ve done it long ago and saved thousands of lives, but I was afraid. I’m not afraid anymore, so I’m going to do something about that man.”   
  
“Kovac he’s too dangerous.” She argued, raising her voice. “You can’t take him on your own.”   
  
“I have to. All of this is my fault.”   
  
Hearing the argument, Marcus and Fox walked in. Neither of them could really believe what they were hearing. Though he hadn’t said he, it really sounded like he wanted to kill his father. To Marcus, however, it wasn’t something he thought Kovac ‘wanted’ it was something he needed to do. And if he needed to, there was going to be no stopping him. Nevertheless, he was surprised to hear such sudden bravery from the lupine. “Hold up now.” Fox said, trying to calm things down. “Don’t be brash Kovac. Your dad is the most dangerous man in Lylat. You don’t even have any training!”   
  
“Then train me. I’m going to do whatever it takes to stop him. I won’t be able to live with myself until then.”   
  
“Kovac, I’m not training you. You’re not going to fight Wolf.” The older vulpine replied.

“How about this: You train me and I stand a better chance against Wolf, or I go and fight him with no chance. Either way I’m going to fight him.”   
  
“Please Kovac, take a moment to think this over more.” Marcus pleaded. “You’ve been through so much today. Think about it again on another day, please.”   
  
He nodded. “I will, but don’t be upset with me when I have the same resolution.”

“Thank you Kovac, that’s all I ask.”   
  
Fox sighed. “And… if you’re really determined with this, I’ll start training you when you get better. I’ll also call my friend Miyu to give you some hand-to-hand combat training.”   
  
“Believe it or not, I’m somewhat proficient in Systema. Only in the aspect that I’m good at hitting pressure points.”   
  
“Then Miyu will train you how to use weapons and knives with the style. I’ll also call Fay. She’s a pop star now, but she’ll be more than happy to show you how to use a sniper rifle.”   
  
“Thank you Fox, that’d be perfect.”   
  
“If this is what you’re determined to do, then I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure you don’t die.”   
  
Marcus was in awe. Kovac came to that resolution so quickly. He felt that the lupine was moving too fast. Then again, he did kiss Kovac after barely four days of knowing one another. That was something they’d need to address too. “Marcus,” He said suddenly. “Is it raining?”   
  
“Uh yeah, it started a little while ago. Why?”   
  
“I’ve never seen rain before. Can you take me out to go see it?”   
  
The vulpine smiled. “Of course K. I’ll go grab a wheelchair.”   
  
After a few minutes, Marcus managed to get his hands on a wheelchair from a nurse. Using it, he brought Kovac to the garden at the center of the cube building. He placed the lupine in front of the large glass window where he could watch the rain fall through the large tree and land in the puddles that had already formed. Seeing that he was in contempt, Marcus left his friend to his meditation, who had a soft smile on his face, gleeful to finally see the rain when it had already poured so much that day. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey so I'm not sure if a Code Triage-External universal. America isn't exactly best at total uniformity when it comes to codes. I was in a hospital where they used Code Blue for an influx of patients. Apparently some jackass laced a bunch of gummy bears with crack and was handing them out in a middle school cafeteria. Either way, Code Triage-External is basically an outside disaster. That usually includes earthquakes and tornadoes, but it can apply to an explosion too.
> 
> Also, I never named the nurse. That was on purpose, really. But if you want a name to her, it's Angelica.


	7. Who Said Time Was an Illusion?

Kovac had to stay at the hospital for another four days thanks to his worsening of the injury. This time, he remained calm and didn’t get out of bed aside from using the bathroom. He became good friends with the staff in his short time there thanks to his help with the explosion. While he wasn’t able to save that woman, he saved five other people that day, and that earned him the respect of the staff and got him a few news stories. A lot of them were kind to him, with titles like “Son of Wolf O’Donnell saves five survivors” or “Explosion survivors saved by Wolf O’Donnell’s son?” It felt nice to be appreciated, but he felt that he didn’t deserve the praise. So when he’d see more negative titles that criticized him for helping Wolf and that his small deed was only healing a fraction of what he had done, he’d agree. He even called into one of the negative news stations, not to defend himself, but explain himself. His call seemed to surprise the news anchors, and he didn't forget the words of one. “Well, you’ve made a lot of mistakes kid, but I know you’re on a good path. Keep going at this rate and in time, I’m sure we’ll have a lot nicer things to say about you.”

It was a nice interaction in his mind, even though Marcus was angry that they were mean towards the lupine in the first place. Speaking of him, he’s been visiting daily. And on the day he was supposed to get out, he came wearing a costume. He had dressed up as a mummy, and he really went for it. His entire body, including his face, was wrapped in cloth, confusing the lupine. “What are you wearing?” He asked, staring him up and down. 

“Oh right!” The vulpine exclaimed. “You don’t know about Halloween! It’s a holiday where you dress up in costumes and you go from door to door asking for candy.”  
  
Kovac raised an eyebrow. “That sounds like an awful idea. I’m sure that’s a method Wolf uses to kidnap people.”  
  
“And that’s why people usually go in groups. But it’s mainly for little kids. When you get older, you just party in costume. Speaking of which, I brought you a costume for the party of Abraham’s place. He throws a big party for every holiday and it's always the talk of the town. A bunch of people are going to be there, including the group and our non-binary friend Luca. They’re loads of fun!”

“If you say so. I’d be happy to join you.”  
  
With a final checkup, Kovac was free to go. However, he’d need to take it easy for the next two weeks, so that meant he would be unable to start his training at the time he wanted to. If only he had treated it sooner, he wouldn’t have to deal with the consequences of it. It only made him feel worse about himself. 

Marcus intentionally pulled him out of his thoughts when he tugged him out of the door. Abraham was there to pick them up, along with a badger person in the front seat. Kovac couldn’t tell the gender of said person, so he assumed them to be Luca. “Luca!” The vulpine exclaimed. “This is my friend Kovac! Kovac, Luca!”  
  
“Nice to meet you dude.” The badger greeted in a voice that didn't quite belong to a woman nor a man. “Marcus told me about you.”  
  
“A pleasure.” The lupine replied, shaking their hand. “Pardon me for asking, but your pronouns are they/them, right?”  
  
“Yep! And no need to apologize, I’m glad you asked before just assuming.”

“Gender is a very serious mental identity. Me calling you something different is detrimental to your mental health, and I have no intention to cause you any damage.”

Luca looked at Marcus. “You weren’t kidding when you said he was overly formal.”  
  
“I know, but I think it’s cute.” The smaller teen giggled. “Now come on Kovac! I bought you a costume, it’s waiting at Abraham's place.” 

Kovac nodded and sat in the back with Marcus. Like the last time he was in the car, he stuck his head out the side and let his tongue flap in the wind. Marcus took a picture during that and posted it with a caption telling everyone he had just gotten out of the hospital and was doing fine. 

The drive to Abraham’s place took about forty minutes. In the later half, they were in a dense forest that seemed to never end. Of course it did have an ending, it was just very, very large. In fact, all of Corneria City was surrounded by a massive forest. It was seen as protection by the military and there were plenty of traps that could be armed with the press of a button in case of an invasion. On top of that, the highways that did go through it could be transformed into makeshift runways for arwings and other fighters. 

When they got to the abandoned warehouse, it didn’t seem all that abandoned. There were about a dozen people out in front and another baker’s dozen inside. Multi-color lights shined from the glass windows on the top of the building and music blasted through the walls. As for the building itself, it was a rectangle shape and was completely covered in thick vines with leaves aside from the windows and large metal doors. 

They headed inside, but Marcus was caught up with a bunch of people who wanted to party and dance with him. Kovac attempted to follow after them, but Abraham insisted that they get him changed into his costume first. Reluctantly, he agreed and followed the buck inside. He didn’t like the idea of leaving Marcus alone with a bunch of people he didn’t know, but the vulpine didn’t seem bothered by it in the least. To Kovac, it looked like he had forgotten about him. 

When they got inside, the lupine stopped dead in his tracks. He was wrong about the amount of people, there were actually over two dozen people partying it up with drinks and music. If it wasn’t for the lights, the place would be beautiful. The entire ceiling of the main room was painted with clouds, majestic angels, handsome demons and stars. There were more paintings on the walls too, all either scenes of nature or portraits. One of the portraits was of Marcus in a snowy field wearing a white dress with an additional piece that went around his shoulders. He was laying in the snow and blowing the light substance off of his hand. There were portraits of the others too, so that meant Abraham painted all of them.

However, the lupine was distracted by the blasting music. It was so loud Kovac had to cover his ears. The loud music reminded him of his father’s parties, when Wolf would invite a bunch of mob bosses to Sargasso and treat them to sex slaves with blasting music. Kovac was there too, but served as a mixologist thanks to his chemistry know-how. So not only was he a good mixologist, but also pretty desensitized to the sight of sex, which was seen by horny young adults grinding against one another.

“I think you’ll find your costume helpful.” Abraham stated. “It should block out some sound. It’s in my bathroom on the sink. Can’t miss it.”

Kovac nodded and walked into another section of the large warehouse. The actual storage part of the building seemed to be Abraham’s art room, while the old break room was where he actually lived. There was a kitchen, a living room, a makeshift bedroom, an additional bathroom and even a dining room. It looked like he had to knock out a wall for that, and it replaced the old maintenance room. 

He found the bathroom and entered it. Sure enough, his costume was sitting on the sink. When he picked it up, his face fell. It certainly matched Marcus’ costume, but it was a lot more arab. Arab as in it had the blue and gold headpiece called a Nemes, the white kilt, golden gauntlets that were really plastic and sandals. There was no shirt to it either, as the muscular wolf on the front of the package demonstrated. “Oh Marcus,” He sighed, smiling. “What am I going to do with you?”

The lupine put the costume on quickly and looked at himself in the standing mirror. He actually looked pretty good in it, and the scar on his chest gave it a good flare. And Abraham was right about the headpiece helping with the noises. It was thick enough to drown some out, so when he went back to the main room, he was a lot more calm. 

Waiting for him by the door was Luca, who had changed into a pirate costume. “Aye Kov,” They greeted. “Wanna hang with me? Marcus is doing some stupid shit with Piper and Jessie, so I figured you’d want to do something more mundane.”

“Well… Marcus did say I should make more friends, so sure, I’d be happy to accompany you.”  
  
They snickered again. “Dude the way you talk is killing me.”  
  
“I can change it if it's causing you harm!" He exclaimed, taking what she said literally.  
  
Luca grabbed onto the headpiece, pulling him down to eye-level. “Never change who you are. The way you talk is perfect and I love it.”  
  
“O-Oh, thank you.” He replied, blushing from embarrassment.

“My pleasure! Now come on, I need a drink.”  
  
Luca took the lupine by the hand and led him to the back of the building, where a makeshift bar was set up. Sitting there was Earl, who was still wearing his hat, but had an outfit to match it now, along with two fake revolvers. He was drinking something alcoholic, but Kovac had no idea what it was. “Hey Earl, mind if we hang with ya?” The badger asked.

“Hm? Oh hey Luca, hey Kov, and sure, you can sit here.” He replied, seeming a little spaced out.

“What is it that you are drinking?” Kovac asked. 

“Just some bourbon. Want some?”  
  
“No, I’ll make my own. Luca, do you want me to make you anything?”  
  
They tilted their head. “You can make drinks?”  
  
“Of course. It’s basic chemistry, really.”  
  
“Wow. In that case, make me a sex on the beach.”  
  
Kovac nodded and went behind the tables to grab the ingredients needed. There was even a hand mixer down there, so he used that to perform some tricks while he made it. It earned him some applause from the other people sitting at the ‘bar’ and one girl, a poodle, passed him his number. Another, a muscular male lion, asked him if he wanted to meet him out back for some fun. Kovac ignored them both and served Luca their drink. After a sip, the badger’s eyes widened. “This has to be the best drink I’ve ever had!” They exclaimed. “Kovac you are a genius!”  
  
The lupine smirked, allowing himself a moment of glory. “I know. Now, as for myself, I’m going to be making a Black Widow Cocktail.”

His cocktail was beautiful. The liquid was crimson red and so was the crystalized sugar around the rim of the glass. To finish the drink, he slid a strawberry with its leaf on the side. With a long first drink, he smiled. “It’s been too long since I’ve made myself one of these. Occasionally, when Wolf wasn’t looking, I’d make a drink for myself. These cocktails have always been my favorite.”

“Can I get a taste?” Luca asked. 

“Sure.”  
  
The badger picked up the tall glass and took a sip. Once again, their eyes went wide, but they coughed. It was really strong for a cocktail, making them wonder what Kovac had put in it. “S-Sorry, not my cup of tea.” They apologized.

“It isn’t tea, it’s vodka and liquor with a bunch of fruity flavorings.” The lupine replied.

“That’s not what I meant jerk.” Luca jokingly stated.

Earl nudged their side. “Actually, Kovac might not know. Marcus told you everything right?”  
  
The badger seemed surprised. “Yeah but I didn’t think it was going to be so bad to the point where he doesn’t understand basic phrases.”  
  
“Well he doesn’t. Please be nicer about it.”  
  
“Sorry Kovac. Didn’t know.”  
  
He smiled. “It’s fine.”

“So are you.” The poodle said, waving at him. “Come on, I wanna dance with you.”  
  
Instead of dealing with her, Kovac ignored her and continued talking to Luca, who was guessing his sexuality. They knew he had a thing for Marcus, but seemed totally uninterested in others. That led them to believe that Kovac was demisexual. “Hey Kovac,” They stated, interrupting the lupine. “Does anyone here catch your eye?”  
  
The lupine seemed confused by the question, but answered nevertheless. “No, why would they?”  
  
“Cause a lot of them are pretty fine.” Earl replied as he looked over to the poodle. “Hey, heard you were looking for some company, little lady?”  
  
“Ew, not you.” She shot back. 

“Ow…” 

“Either way,” Luca stated, rolling their eyes. “So, you’re attracted to no one else here? Sexually, that is?”  
  
“No, not in the slightest.”  
  
“But you are attracted to Marcus? Romantically and sexually?”  
  
He blushed. “Indeed…”  
  
“Knew it. You’re demi, aren’t you?”  
  
“Demi? What is that?”  
  
Earl chuckled and prepared for Luca to go on a long LGBTQIA spout. The badger was purely asexually, not sexually but can be romantically attracted to anyone. Then there’s aromatic people, who do not experience romantic attraction, but may or may not experience sexual attraction. There were a lot of other kinds of asexuality, but the three main ones were asexual, aromantic and demisexual/demiromantic. And Luca believed that Kovac was demisexual because he only began to have feelings for Marcus and an attraction after they formed a deep emotional connection. “It totally explains you!” They explained. “Do you think you are?”  
  
He nodded. “I do. I can’t imagine having sex with anyone aside from Marcus.”  
  
“So you think about it, huh?” Earl asked, smirking. 

The lupine turned red from embarrassment. “I-I uh…” His ears fell under his Nemes. “May or may not have thought about it before.” 

“Hope you two get together.” The toad stated. “I can’t imagine Marcus being with anyone but you.”  
  
“Oh… thank you.” He covered his face suddenly. “S-sorry, I’m so red right now it’s embarrassing!”  
  
“Nah man, you’re good! And here, let me get this for you. What’s your address?”  
  
Since Kovac was planning on living with his grandparents, he gave them that address. Luca then proceeded to go onto their phone and buy Kovac a demisexual flag, which looked like an asexual flag with a triangle on the side, and had it shipped to his address. “Oh, thank you Luca. That’s very kind of you.” He stated, surprised that she bought him one in the first place.   
  
“No problem my asexual brother.” They replied. “It is brother, right?”

“I do identify as my assigned birth gender, yes.”  
  
“Cool. Now, why don’t we go find Marcus?”  
  
Kovac nodded and followed behind Luca and Earl with his drink. As he walked out the door, he froze suddenly as his eye color changed. It was Luca who noticed it first and thought he was having a stroke. Meanwhile, he was seeing a vision of an invisible figure pulling a knife out. A second later, the figure slits Marcus’ throat. The vision ended after that.

The lupine’s eye color returned and he looked to where Marcus was in the vision. He ran as fast as he could, once again ignoring the orders of the doctor that told him to take it slow. With his cheetah speed, he made it to Marcus, just in time for him to see the floating knife. Immediately, he dived, tackling the person holding the knife. The vulpine turned around and saw his friend on the floor, fighting an invisible figure with a knife. “What? Kovac? What are you doing?!”  
  
The lupine didn’t have time to respond, as he was punched in the face by the invisible hand. The cloaked person attempted to stab him, but the lupine managed to grab onto the wrist of the person and punch back. When he hit them, the cloak faded and a reptile in a black latex suit became apparent. 

Right as Kovac was about to hit the person again, he got another vision. It lasted for a split second, but showed the reptile using a hidden blade to stab him in the heart. When the vision ended, he acted fast. He pinned the other arm on the ground, along with the other. And without thinking, he lowered his head and dug into the neck of the reptile with his sharp teeth. The man cried out in pain and dropped their knives. Before Kovac could rip out his throat, the man pushed the lupine off and ran, turning invisible again.

After a few seconds, Kovac rose to his feet and followed the trail of blood. He wasn’t going to let someone who had just attempted to kill Marcus just get away. That left everyone at the party silent as they watched the lupine run into a forest like a primal predator. “Dude,” Piper stated. “What the hell was that?”  
  
“I think someone tried to kill me.” Marcus replied, horrified. “And Kovac saved me. Oh my god, I need to help him!”  
  
“I’m coming with.” Abraham stated. “Let me grab my gun.”

Marcus didn’t wait for his friend, and instead followed the trail of blood as Kovac did. 

While he caught up, the lupine continued his chase, running on all fours with wide eyes and his pupils narrowed. The forest came into a clearing, where nothing else aside from grass grew in a large circle. Crickets chirped in the silent night and the wind ruffled the leaves in the surrounding trees. 

Kovac raised his nose into the air and sniffed. He smelled blood, but it was all over the trees surrounding him, and the latex suit seemed to produce no smell. Whoever it was had used their own blood as a cloak to throw off Kovac. Most likely, they were in one of the trees surrounding the open area. 

After a few moments of silence, Kovac had another vision. A gun went off and a bullet went through one side of his head and out the other. But then there was a second one. One where he seemed to run faster than the bullet itself, allowing him to climb the tree and kill the attacker by kicking him off of it.

But how could he move so fast? It seemed impossible, even if he was part cheetah. Then he heard the gunshot go off. That’s when things got weird. Everything seemed to slow down, as if he had pressed pause on time itself. He looked around and saw the bullet. It was heading right for him, but at the rate it was going, it looked like it would take hours. He could even see the ripples in the air it created. In fact, he could touch it, changing the trajectory. The once strong, chilly wind felt like nothing and grass waved too slowly. Then there was the tree he saw the attacker in. The leaves on it swayed so slowly and the sound coming from them sounded like nothing but a deep, soft bass.

Not considering what was going on, he ran for the tree and climbed it. He saw the attacker and took off the mask. Immediately he recognized the man. “Leon… no wonder it was you who got past the monitoring.” He mumbled. “And I remember the things you’d do to me and what you made me do to others. I’ll never forgive you.”  
  
With that, he reached for his head and snapped his neck. He then pushed him off the tree, where he landed in the grass at a normal speed. At the same time, the bullet hit the ground as Kovac felt the chill of the wind on his bare chest. 

Kovac was confused. Why had everything slowed down? Was it a part of his abilities, or was it someone watching out for him? He didn’t have the chance to think about it for long when he heard the voice of his closest friend. “Kovac! Kovac where are you?”  
  
“Marcus?” He whispered, eyes wide. “Shoot.”

Quickly, he jumped down the tree and picked up Leon’s body. He walked slowly towards where he heard the vulpine’s voice. The first person he saw was actually Abraham, who was carrying a lever-action plasma rifle in his hands. He was also the first person to notice Kovac and the body. “Guys!” He exclaimed. “I found him.”  
  
Kovac heard two other sets of footsteps heading towards him. Coming from the dense woods was Marcus carrying a baseball bat and Piper had a large kitchen knife. “Kovac!” Marcus exclaimed, dropping the bat. “Are you alright?”  
  
Kovac only nodded in response. He was too tired to give him a verbal answer. On top of that, the realization that he just killed the infamous Leon Powalski, a man who was Wolf’s right hand and the rival of Falco Lombardi. Leon had tortured him just as much as his father did, and killing him almost felt like a weight was lifted off of his chest, but it left many questions unanswered. When he’d torture Kovac, he’d yell things like “Get out of my head!” or “You’re not him!” It always confused the lupine, and he knew that whatever was in Leon’s head made his hate for him so much worse. So why did he feel guilty? That’s when the words of Lex rang through his mind. “We all have stories.” Lex stated. “And so does he.”

“What was your story, Leon?” Kovac asked with tears in his eyes as Marcus stopped in front of him. “What story did you live that made you into the madman you were?”

“Kovac, are you okay?” The vulpine asked, cautiously reaching a hand forwards.

“No… no I’m not.”  
  
“Who is that?”  
  
“It’s Leon. I’m sure Fox told you about him.”  
  
Marcus gasped. “B-But my dad always told me he was the most deadly assassin in Lylat. How did you beat-”  
  
“I don’t know.” Kovac said, interrupting his friend. “I just did. He’s dead and he won’t hurt you anymore. Promise.”  
  
“Okay. Thank you Kovac, for saving my life… again.”

Kovac nodded and walked off on his own, towards the large pond the warehouse was built aside. There, he filled Leon’s latex suit with rocks and threw him into the water, where his limp body sank. Following that, he sat at the edge of the pond, dipping his feet into the cold water. He had just noticed how cold everything was, especially since he was only wearing a kilt and some plastic gauntlets now. It made him shiver, but he refused to move. For some reason, he felt sentimental. Leon was evil, but why was he? Everyone was so quick to brush him off, but there was a reason for his madness. Something happened to him at some point in his life that made him into the man he was. 

Closing his eyes, Kovac breathed deeply. Everything around him seemed to disappear as he simply breathed. When he opened his eyes again, he was in a whole different place. It was a middle class house, with the lights on. He was sitting in the filled bathtub, completely nakid. Everything was quiet for a minute until he heard a blood curdling scream. It made him jump. The scream only lasted for a second until he heard maniacal laughter and the crying of a child. 

He ran out of the bathroom immediately, grabbing the bathrobe on the hanger as he ran out. With it tied around him, he stepped out into the hallway. There, he could see blood splatters going down the right of the hall. Looking down, he saw a nakid chameleon man nailed to the wall with his genitals cut off and his lower jaw. His gut was cut out so his entrails could be stapled to the wall like some kind of twisted art. The smell and sight of it nearly made Kovac throw up. He looked away and covered his nose to block it out, but the smell was so powerful that he ended up throwing for a few seconds. After emptying out his stomach, he turned his attention further down the hall where he heard the sound of a child crying with a man still laughing. 

It was a bedroom, with a chameleon woman laying on the bed with her throat slit open. Crying over her body was a small little boy with a small pocket knife of the same species. And standing at the end of it was a well-dressed crow man wearing a mask laughing. Immediately, Kovac launched himself at the man, but fell right through him. When he turned around to see the man, he was creeping up on the child with a butcher knife raised. “Child, he’s going to kill you!” Kovac yelled. “He’s too fast for you to run, you’ll have to fight!”

The boy seemed to have heard him, picking his head up with wide eyes. Immediately, he turned around and yelled as he plunged his pocket knife into the gut of the man. The man seemed surprised by the attack, eyes wide. He dropped his knife soon and fell to the floor. He was still alive, however. “Child, he’s not dead yet.” Kovac said. “You need to make sure he is. Use his knife and kill him. It’s the only way you’ll be safe.”  
  
Once again, the boy heard him. He looked over at Kovac with tears in his eyes, but still nodded. Slowly, he got down from the bed and picked up the butcher knife. The man began to plead for his life as the child walked towards him. As he got closer, a smile grew on the boy’s face and the pleads of the man got louder and louder. He was silenced when the knife split his head open. 

Kovac let the boy breathe for a moment before standing up and walking towards him. When he was close, the boy turned around and hugged him, burying his face into his stomach as he cried. In return, Kovac rubbed the back of his head. “You’re alright.” He whispered. “He’s dead now and you did great.”  
  
The boy couldn’t speak, so Kovac squatted down to look him in the eyes. Upon seeing the boy’s face, he gasped. “Leon?”  
  
He sniffled. “H-How did you know my n-name?”  
  
“I… I just know.” The lupine replied.  
  
“What’s your name?”  
  
Kovac was so nervous he hardly got his name out right. Instead, it came out as “Vac Valentino.” The boy nodded. “Are you an angel, Valentino?”  
  
“No, I’m not. Far from it.” He replied.

“But you saved me.”  
  
“You saved yourself. I didn’t do anything.”  
  
Right now, Kovac saw his chance to possibly change Leon’s course. So, he planted his hands on the boy’s shoulders and spoke. “Be strong, Leon. Don’t let anyone like that man overpower you and make you feel weak. Because when they make you feel like nothing, they’ll abuse you and hurt you. Make sure you never feel like this again.”  
  
He nodded. “O-Okay. I won’t let anyone hurt me again.”  
  
“Good. Stay strong, little one.” Kovac giggled, rubbing the top of his head as he stood. “I need to go.”

“Please stay?”  
  
Kovac looked around. Things were seeming to break like glass all around him. “I don’t think I can.” He said as he heard someone yelling his name. “Someone is calling for me. I need to go Leon, stay safe and stay strong.”  
  
“I will… thank you Valentino.”

With that, the little Leon shattered like glass and Kovac’s vision went black. When it returned, Marcus was sitting right in front of him, holding both sides of his face. There were also soldiers, including Bill Grey. “Are you alright, son?” Bill asked.

Kovac nodded slowly. “I am.”  
  
“Marcus said you killed Leon. Is that true?”  
  
“It is. I threw him in the pond. His suit is full of rocks, so he won’t float back up.”  
  
The general sighed. “I see. Well, we’re going to have to fish him out to make sure he’s actually dead and actually Leon.”  
  
“Alright.”  
  
Knowing that Kovac was in a bad state, Bill left him with Marcus, who helped him up and brought him back to the warehouse. By that time, Abraham had cleared everyone out aside from Earl, Piper, Bonnie, Jessie and Luca. So when they got back, things were a lot more quiet. Everyone sat at the bar, waiting for the two to get back. When they did, they didn’t rush up to greet them, they just smiled and waved. It was exactly what Kovac wanted, making him smile. “Hi everyone,” He greeted. “I’m alright and Marcus is safe.”

“What about you?” Luca asked.

“I’ll be okay. I just… I just need time.” He sighed. “Everyone, I need some time away. You’re all so kind, but I need to sit down and figure things out for myself.”

“What do you mean Kovac?” Marcus asked, gripping his hand tighter.

“I mean that I need a few days alone. Just to think and process what’s been happening to me.” He looked at his hands. “I killed a man today and travelled through time. Whatever my mom was is affecting me and I need to figure it out.”  
  
“Travel through time? Kovac, what the hell are you talking about?”  
  
“I’m able to travel through time, Marcus. I saw a young Leon and I was able to talk to him! His parents were butchered at a young age and he had to kill the person who killed them. It’s probably what led him to become so mad.”

Marcus covered his mouth to hide his gasp. “R-really?”  
  
“Really. And I saw it all. Please, I need time. Everything is too much right now.”

“I… I understand. Just please don’t stay away from me forever.”  
  
Kovac smiled and caressed his face. “I could never do that to you.”  
  
Slowly, he reached his head down and kissed Marcus on the lips. The others smiled in endearment at the sight, aside from Jessie, who made a gagging motion. In response, Bonnie smacked him in the back of the head. Everyone laughed at the action while the couple continued to kiss. Kovac held it for a few more seconds before he turned to Abraham. “Can you drive me home, please?”

“Of course. Go get changed back into your clothes and we’ll be out.”

Kovac nodded and got changed in the bathroom. As he did so, he looked at himself in the mirror. He looked so normal, but he felt the opposite. His head was spinning from the mixture of guilt, fear and somehow, love. His love for Marcus that kept him going in a world he didn’t understand burned brighter than anything else. And to keep that love burning, he needed some time to himself to just think. He’s been moving and around people constantly. It wasn’t something he really wanted so much of. 

When he was ready to go, he left with Abraham, leaving Marcus at the warehouse. It would’ve been harder to say goodbye after a long car ride, so he decided to make it easier for both of them and go. Even if it felt like the harder decision. When he walked out the door, Marcus began to cry as he hugged Piper, who rubbed circles around his back. 

The car ride to his grandparents’ house was silent and intense. Especially since they had an armored military vehicle following them. Bill was also going to have them camp out in front of the house to make sure nothing else happened, which did help ease the nerves of the lupine. Abraham also promised that he'd always be available to drive him back to Marcus when he was ready. 

“Thanks for taking me back Abraham." Kovac said as he got out. "Have a good night.” 

“My pleasure. And Kovac, take all the time you need, we’ll take good care of Marcus while you’re figuring things out.”  
  
“Okay. Thank you again.”  
  
“See you soon, I hope.”  
  
Abraham backed out and headed back to his place, leaving the lupine alone on the porch of his grandparents’ house. They had a room set up for him and told him to come whenever he wanted. Now seemed like the perfect time. With a knock on the door, he waited nervously. It was late at night, so they could be asleep and unable to hear him. He was proven wrong when the door opened and he was greeted by his grandma, who was a lot shorter than him. She was wearing a nightgown and had her head wrapped up. “Kovac, sweetie is that you?” She asked.

“Hi grandma.” He replied, smiling softly. “It’s me. Do you… still have a place for me to sleep?”

She smiled. “Of course sweetie. And I’m assuming the flag that came is yours?”  
  
“Oh, it came already?”  
  
“Those delivery drones are pretty neat, aren’t they?”

The elderly lupine woman led him inside. The first room was a living room with a dark blue carpet. A loveseat placed in front of the window and a sofa on the back wall. Between them was a coffee table and an armchair, where his grandpa slept. Upon seeing him, Kovac giggled. “How was it that you heard me?”  
  
“Oh I was just watching a drama series in our room.” She answered. “Us wolves don’t really sleep too much. Not at night at least.”

“True. I guess I never really followed a day-night cycle on Sargasso. It’s an adjustment.”  
  
“I can’t even begin to imagine your hardships. Please, take a rest in your bed.”

“Thank you grandma. I’ll talk to you both in the morning.”  
  
“Do you want me to tuck you in?” She asked.

He was surprised for a second before he giggled. “Um, sure. That’d be nice.”

Following his grandma, he made a left down a short hallway. Down the hall was another room, which she opened the door to. Inside was what was Wolf’s room that was turned into a guest bedroom. It had a light yellow plaid quilt on top of the queen sized mattress which was placed on top of a carved wooden frame. An old clock rested on the nightstand on the left and a lamp on the other. There was even a bathroom attached to the room, which had a large jet bathtub and standing glass shower. The bedroom screamed cozy. “Oh wait, I don’t have any pajamas.” He stated.

“Are you sure about that?” His grandma replied, opening a closet. “Maybe a certain _young_ lady made her grandson a few sets of pajamas.”  
  
Kovac widened his eyes. She really made him seven separate pajama outfits. Three of them were gowns and four were shirts and pants. All of them looked incredibly comfortable, however. “Thank you, grandma. This is so kind of you.”  
  
“Anything for my grandson. Get changed and I’ll tuck you in.”

He nodded and changed into a gown. It was silk, and it felt incredibly comfortable. Not only that, it felt as freeing as his half tops and shorts. He could easily live in it forever. And he just might! 

Once he was changed, his grandmother came back in and tucked him into bed. When she was done, she got on her knees on the side of her bed and closed her hands together, with her forehead touching them. “Kovac, would you like to recite a bedtime prayer?” She asked.

“Oh… sure. Go ahead.”

“Repeat after me, please.” 

He nodded and recited everything she said. “Dear God, as I sleep, please lift my worries and fears and in their place put faith and inspiration. Help to seed my consciousness with love and joy so I may awaken tomorrow with a deep sense of peace. Weave moments of laughter into my day and please help me to be a blessing to others. Thank you God, for helping me remember the beauty of this life.”

After touching her shoulders, her chest and her head, his grandma rose from the ground and kissed his forehead. It was almost like a magic kiss, because as soon as she did, he felt incredibly sleepy. Maybe it was because he felt safe, as if someone otherworldly was watching over him, protecting him as he slept. Or the feeling of the love put into the making of the quilts she made. Whatever it was, it allowed him to drift into his best sleep yet. “Sleep well, sweetie.” The elderly wolf woman whispered as she walked out of his room. “See you in the morning light.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey so I was looking at some of the old fics I wrote (that I am most certainly not going to publish) and I just wanted to share some of the ideas I had. One of them took place during the reign of Catherine the Great of Russia, where the team crash landed on the planet during that era. That was when I was really into European history. I still am, but not to the point where I was then.
> 
> Another took place during WW2. For this one, I turned the planets of Lylat into nations on Earth. Like Corneria was basically Atlantis, a nation at the center of the Atlantic Sea. The other was Venom, which was essentially furry Italy. It was another island nation that separated Europe from Africa, and thus had a lot of northern Colonies and British and French colonization was weaker there. Instead, I gave France a tighter grip of Vietnam and the UK had India, but also made Canada a lot closer to the nation. On top of that, Great Britain still had some colonies in America, like the northeastern most states. And Corneria had Florida as a colony and Liberia. Then I screwed with the established history and made Vera Atkins the director of the SOE instead of Sir Stewart Menzies. She was the assistant director. Honestly it was fun to write it out, but I knew it was a little too out there to post. 
> 
> Final thing, sorry if Luca's pronouns were confusing as I wrote them. English doesn't really had gender-neutral terms. And for someone who is non-binary like me and Luca, it's sometimes weird. Like instead of saying, "Oh, I'm a sports kind of guy," I go "Oh, I'm a sports kind of person." Most of the time it's hard to remember because I used male pronouns all my life.


	8. Agent M

When Kovac left, Marcus was brought home by Bill Grey, along with an armed escort. They had just fished Leon’s body out of the water and were bringing him to Fox to help confirm his identity. During the ride, Bill attempted to console his godson to the best of his abilities. “I would’ve been dead Uncle.” He whispered, hugging himself. “I… I’m so scared.”

“We’re going to have someone assigned to you and Kovac constantly from now on. They’ll be your new best friends. Got it?”

He nodded. “Alright. Thank you Uncle.”  
  
“It’s no problem. Now, can you tell me how Kovac somehow managed to kill Leon?”   
  
“I don’t know, I didn’t see it. As I told you, he has future sight and saw me getting killed. It would’ve happened if he didn’t intervene. Then he told me he travelled through time and saw why Leon was so insane.”   
  
“His parents were butchered by a serial killer. According to the mental hospital documents, he’d constantly whisper something about an angel named Valentino.”   
  
Marcus widened his eyes. “That’s Kovac’s last name. But that means-”   
  
“It means that this has all happened before.” Bill said, nodding with his eyes closed. “If this is some time stuff, that means there are multiple Kovacs. Multiple everything, really.”

The vulpine felt himself start to get a really bad headache. It was like the room was spinning around him. How many instances of Kovac were there? Throughout history, even. If it was true that he was able to go into the past and attempt to change it, why hadn’t he done it before? And why hasn’t a Kovac visited them to help his Kovac. Unless he dies in the near future and has never had the option to fully grasp his powers. The thought of it made Marcus sick to his stomach. 

He stayed quiet for the rest of the ride back to his house. There, his parents met him outside, hugging him tightly. While he was still mad with his mom, he hugged her back just as tight, if not, more. “Are you okay sweetie?” She asked. 

He nodded. “Kovac saved me… again.”

“Thank god for that boy.” Fox whispered. “Keeping my son safe.”  
  
Behind Marcus, Bill cleared his throat, catching the older vulpine’s attention. He excused himself and followed his old friend towards one of the trucks. One of the soldiers then opened the back, then a body bag. In it was the corpse of Leon, who still had his neck snapped. Fox sighed at the sight of him. “Yeah, that’s him.” He confirmed. “Hard to forget that face after the scars he gave me.”

“Sorry for making you look at him, but we had to be sure.” Bill apologized.

“Nah, it’s fine. It’s good to see him dead. Can’t believe Kovac was the one to take him out though.”  
  
“Well, apparently Kovac’s messing with time. Marcus told me Kovac travelled back in time to see why Leon was the way he was. He saw the murder of his parents and apparently was able to talk to him when he was a kid.”   
  
“Holy shit,” Fox swore. “I thought Leon’s angel of death Valentino and ours was just a coincidence. They’re the same.”   
  
Bill nodded. “They are. I’m going to have the research department dig through every history book we have to see if Kovac pops up anywhere else. Honestly, I have an idea where he popped up again.”   
  
“Where?”   
  
Before speaking, the general had the soldier close the door. He brought Fox to the side of the driveway out of earshot of his family and the other soldiers. “Fox, I think Kovac was the one who unified Corneria.” 

That caused the vulpines ears to rise. “What?”  
  
“Remember those damn fairy tales we were told as kids? About the mysterious hero who came to us with advanced technology and taught our people to use it?”

“Yeah I remember it, but come on, it’s a story and there’s no actual evidence.”  
  
“I know, but still. We’re going to be considering anything at this point.”   
  
Fox nodded. “Just be realistic. I doubt Kovac was the one to.”   
  
“He’s smart enough to. But the question is why would he do this?”   
  
It made no sense, really. For that to be true, that meant Corneria, at one point, would have had to advance on its own and then create the first Kovac, who just so happened was able to time travel. But that was a chance of infinities. Nevertheless, everything was on the table now. 

With a heavy sigh, Bill bid farewell to his friend and told him he’d be assigning an agent to guard Marcus 24/7. That person would be living with them, and the same went for Kovac. It would be an adjustment, but Bill promised the father that it would be a young agent so that they had more in common with the kids. “Just give Kovac someone smart.” Fox said. “He doesn’t get pop culture. Hell I don’t think he even listens to music. Kid thrives on intelligence.”  
  
“Gotcha. I know exactly who to send then. And I have the perfect gal for your son.” 

“Can’t wait to meet her. See her tomorrow?”  
  
“Yep! See ya Fox! Make sure that boy is okay.”   
  
“I will. Bye Bill.” 

The General tilted his cap to his friend before joining his soldiers in the armored car. When they were out of the neighborhood, Fox returned to his family. He found them inside, where Marcus was holding himself on the couch with his mother rubbing his back. “W-what did he say?” Fox asked.

“He thinks there have been multiple Kovacs. He’s going to have people search through history books to see if anything pops up.”  
  
“This… this is crazy.”   
  
“It doesn’t matter to me.” He stated coldly. “What matters to me is that my son was almost killed. You’re lucky Kovac was there to save you.”   
  
He nodded. “I know. I didn’t even see Leon coming. He was invisible.”   
  
“I imagine, but I’m not going to let you get caught off guard again. When Kovac is better, I’m training you both.”   
  
Marcus widened his eyes. “R-Really?”   
  
“That’s right. You’re good with a gun, sure, but you need to learn hand-to-hand combat. Miyu’s got that covered. Plus, maybe your new agent friend can help you.”   
  
“Oh right, Uncle Bill said he was going to assign Kovac and I agents.”   
  
“Think of it as having a big sibling.” Krystal suggested. “I think it’ll be cool.” 

“Yeah, maybe.”  
  
Marcus smiled. Having a new, badass friend seemed really exciting to him. Excited to meet them, he went to bed to hopefully keep some of the negative thoughts out too. To help relax, he put on some music with his phone and had it next to him on his nightstand. With the angelic voice of Swan Dion, he fell asleep peacefully with a soft smile on his face.

The next morning, Marcus awoke to the sound of a doorbell. Waking up was a very slow process for him. It was hard for him to get his legs off the bed, so he scrolled on his phone for a few minutes. Then he began to smell food and the sound of a powerful and deep, yet feminine, voice. “Wow Mrs. McCloud, this smells awesome! Thanks for the food.”  
  
“Of course Ms. Noi.” His mother replied. “Marcus should be down to meet you soon. My food usually wakes him right up.”   
  
“Can’t wait to meet the little man!” She exclaimed.

Marcus widened his eyes. That must be his agent. Quickly, he got up, got dressed in something presentable, and went downstairs. In the kitchen, sitting at the island, was a huge rhino woman. She wasn’t as tall as Abraham, but she could give him a run for his money. As far as weight went, she totally beat out the buck with her massive muscles that were hidden under her tuxedo. Her white hair was really long too, with it being plentiful in mass. Then there were her red eyes, which seemed friendly despite the color. “Yo is that him!?” She asked with a mouthful of food.   
  
“That’s our son.” Krystal replied, smiling. “Marcus, this is Maria Noi, your new bodyguard.”   
  
“Nice to meet you little man.” She greeted, getting off of the stool to shake his hand. “I think we’re gonna be good friends.”   
  
As soon as Marcus touched her hand, she pulled him into a tight hug, burying his face between her massive tits. He swore he couldn’t breathe, but that didn’t seem to bother the muscular woman. When she let go, Marcus swore he turned a little straight. “Hah, sorry little man.” She apologized. “I just love meeting new people!” 

It was like the woman had a never-ending supply of energy. Just as Marcus thought he was safe, she picked him up and carried him on her arm like it was a throne for him. Both of them were laughing joyously as she paraded him around the room.

She stopped after about five minutes and rubbed his head. “I love small dudes!” The woman exclaimed. “They’re so easy to pick up.”

“Oh my god you’re awesome.” Marcus whispered. “I hope Kovac got a cool agent like I did.”  
  
Maria snickered. “No he didn’t. He got Agent Lovelace. She’s an old prune who thinks she’s so smart. Plus she talks way too formally.” 

“Kovac’s gonna love her.” The vulpine replied. “He’s like stupid smart, but he’s also humble about it.”  
  
“Yeah, so is Lovelace, but she's like dead silent all the time. It’s like she’s always thinking about something.”   
  
“Oh my god they’re perfect together.” 

“Damn. First person to love Lovelace.” Maria chuckled. “Hey that rhymes!” 

The vulpine giggled. He was loving Maria already. Her never ending energy, her positivity and her impressive build made him feel like she was the big sister he never had. Then she told him that she wanted to get to know him better after breakfast. Excited, he ate his food quickly, but nowhere near as fast as Maria could. “Hah! Gotcha beat little man!”  
  
Marcus laughed again. When he finished, he took Maria to his room and sat down on the side of his bed while she sat on the couch. She spread her arms out and rested them on the back of the couch. “So man, what do you want to know about me?”   
  
“Hmmm… what are your hobbies?”   
  
“Easy. Body-building, eating, playing video games and spending time at the gun range.” She replied. 

“Video games?” He asked, smiling.  
  
The rhino smiled back. “That’s what I said, wasn’t it?”   
  
“What kind of games?”   
  
“Anything but strategy.”   
  
“You’re awesome.”   
  
“I know. So tell me, you have a crush on that Kovac dude?”   
  
He blushed. “M-Maybe. We’ve already kissed a few times but…”

“But what?”  
  
“We never had a real talk about it. We’ve never established anything real and we just… you know, kinda vibe.”   
  
“Ah, I see. Why don’t I take you to see him?”   
  
With a heavy sigh, Marcus filled her in on everything. From Kovac time-travelling and killing Leon, to him asking to be alone for a while. It really hurt him that the lupine asked for time alone, but he understood as well. “Well… it might be for the best then. If he feels that he needs some time then give it to him. I’ll make sure Lovelace takes good care of him, promise.”

That didn’t really ease his nerves. He doesn’t know this ‘Lovelace’ and doesn’t know if she could protect Kovac or not. The lupine’s safety now wasn’t even a certainty. It made him feel sick to his stomach. “Dang little man,” Maria stated. “You’re really feeling for this guy, huh?”  
  
“He saved my life… twice. How can I not love him?” 

“Just because someone saves ya doesn’t mean you have to fall in love with them. Your dad saved me, but I’m not in love with him.”  
  
“That’s different… he didn’t directly save you like a superhero.”   
  
The woman smiled. “Actually, he did.”   
  
Maria sighed and told her story, which she summed up pretty quickly because it was painful for her. When she was young and the Lylat Wars had just started, her family was on a transport shuttle from Macbeth to Corneria. It was boarded by a Venomillian raiding party and killed her parents during it. She was about to be killed when the Star Fox team boarded the ship as well and saved her. Out of the over thirty passengers, she was the only survivor. “Since that day, I swore I would never be pushed around like that. And I wouldn’t let that happen to anyone.” She flexed a muscular arm. “Started with this.”   
  
“Wow Maria… I’m so sorry that happened to you.” Marcus replied, frowning. “You know, Kovac has this thing… he wants to know people’s stories. To see why they are the way they are. Me, I could just read their minds and fish it out of them, but he has to travel through time and live through the experiences that made a person.” He dipped his head down. “I’m scared that those experiences will change him.”   
  
“Kinda crazy how he can time travel. How does that even happen?”   
  
“It has something to do with his mom. She’s a Yincamori or something like that.”   
  
Maria smiled. “How about we do some research. You got a computer?”   
  
“Laptop.” He replied, pulling the computer out from under his bed.

As soon as he opened it, the computer turned on and the previous was playing. “Fuck me harder daddy!” The person in the video exclaimed.

Immediately, Marcus slammed the computer screen down and Maria held back her laughter, holding both hands over her mouth while the corners of her eyes watered. He was completely embarrassed and felt ashamed already. That was from two nights ago, the day before Kovac got out of the hospital. Then, the two made eye contact, causing the massive woman to released all the laughter stored. Just like her voice, it was powerful and came from the deepest depths of her belly. “Shut up, shut up, shut up!” The embarrassed teen exclaimed, whilst also laughing.

“O-Oh my god… I-I-I can’t breathe!” She laughed. “That’s too good. Ah…” After a deep breath, she spoke again. “So, what were you watching?”

He blushed madly. “W-Why?!”  
  
“Curious. Let me guess, stud teen wolf fucks twink fox boy?”

His blush grew. “S-Something along those lines.”  
  
“Hah! Knew it. Have you two done it yet then?”   
  
“No… but I know he’s into me. He’s demisexual, so that means he only likes people when he’s formed a deep emotional bond. And we have that bond.”   
  
He was feeling giddy just talking about it. Knowing that Kovac had the hots for him and only him was exciting for the young vulpine. It made him stare off into space, wondering what his reunion with Kovac would look like. He was hoping for something passionate. Then again, it was Kovac. That lupine wouldn’t know what passion was even if he was watching porn. What would he even get out of porn? He’s on the asexual spectrum…

“Dude you good?” Maria asked, breaking him from his trance

He blinked his eyes for a second, snapping back into reality. “Y-yeah. I’m good. Just, y’know, thinking about him.”  
  
“My guy, are you gonna be okay? Cause you’re like radiating separation anxiety vibes right now.” 

“Well… I guess…”  
  
He knew exactly what it was. Kovac made him feel safe, and without the lupine, he felt like he was vulnerable to the world. Even with Maria, he didn’t feel any more secure. Not wanting to offend her, he didn’t come up with an answer and instead opened the computer again and shut off the video, forgetting to do some research on Kovac and his people. “Hey,” Maria said, seeming excited about something. “How about we do some training? Ain’t nobody better to teach you than me!”

To emphasize that, she flexed her arms once again. It was just as impressive as last time, however. Regardless of how impressive her arms were, Marcus agreed and took her downstairs. There, they went into another section of the basement which was more of a gym. It had all the things any gym would need, even a boxing bag. That was what Maria was going for.

Before they started, they both got changed. Marcus had an outfit downstairs and Maria brought a bag of clothes. She put on a sports bra that left a little too much cleavage for the homosexual teen’s comfort. He, on the other hand, just wore an orange muscle shirt with some shorts. “Take your shirt off.” She ordered. “I need to get a good read of your build.”  
  
He nodded once. “O-Okay.”   
  
Albeit reluctantly, he removed his shirt, showing that he really had no build at all. It was a wonder to even himself why he thought he could take on Wolf when he was still imprisoned. Maria certainly seemed disappointed. “I’ve got a lot of work to do.”   
  
After closing her eyes for a few seconds, she snapped them back open with a ferocious look on her face. She pointed at the vulpine, who froze on the spot. “Alright little man! If Kovac’s gonna be improving himself while he’s doing his own thing, then so are you! I’m gonna make you sweat and eat as much nutrients as you can! Got it?”   
  
He saluted, for some odd reason. “Yes ma’am!”   
  
“Good! Now file in line boy! I’m gonna work you down to your bone!”

  
  
-Two Hours Later-

Marcus fell on the concrete floor of the basement. Halfway through the workout, he took his shirt back off and was still sweating bullets. Maria was working just as hard as him, but showed no signs of fatigue. In fact, as he laid on the ground, she jogged in place next to him. “Well, I guess you did pretty good for having your first real workout.” She stated. “Feel any stronger?”  
  
Instead of speaking, he flipped her off. She laughed once again. “Hah! Fair enough little man. Come on, you deserve a break.”   
  
With help, Marcus rose from the ground and immediately headed for a shower. Instead of a hot one, it was nearly ice-cold, but that was exactly what he wanted. He showered for ten minutes and as he got dressed, he looked at himself in the mirror.

Clearly, he wasn’t as physically fit as Kovac was. The lupine had his muscle and abs thanks to his constant running around and moving dead bodies from one place to another. He, on the other hand, was deathly thin. His ribs were visible even through his fur and had narrow shoulders. For a man, it was quite pathetic. He just wanted some wider hips and maybe a bit of meat on his body. It was one of his biggest insecurities. 

Snapping himself out of his little pity-fest, he got dressed and walked out into the hallway. Maria was waiting by the door, dressed in a more casual jeans and flannel shirt. Now her blaster was visible, resting in its holster on her right hip. “You good man?” She asked.

“It’s just… I don’t like my body. Thanks for helping me out Maria.” He replied.

“No prob man. And I’m not gonna work you too hard. That way you can live out that little fantasy with Kovac, eh?”  
  
He blushed again. “R-Really Maria? 

“Hey, you were the one with porn running on your computer.”

“Fair enough, I guess. So, what do we do now?”  
  
“Now we feast!”   
  
This time, Maria cooked. She grabbed as many potatoes as she could and red meat to go with it, along with some rice. With whatever sauces they had, she put them together and came up with an actually pretty decent dish like a weird abomination of a curry. It had heat to it, but it wasn’t unbearable and it was flavorful. She seasoned the meat well, even if it was just a bit of salt and pepper. Eating actually made him feel like he had gotten stronger. 

When he was done eating, he sat on the couch in his room next to his bodyguard. The two had stuffed themselves and were feeling tired as a result. Before they knew it, they fell asleep, with Marcus’ head resting on Maria’s shoulder and her head resting on his. As they slept, Fox walked in to ask his son a social media question, but found the two. He giggled before closing the door slowly. “So I guess I’ll have to look up what a DILF is then.” He stated, opening his search engine. 

He put in the fateful words and adjusted his glasses as he read. As he read, his blush grew and he put it down quickly. “So that’s what a DILF is.” His blush disappeared. “They want to fuck me?!”

“Honey, what’s wrong?” Krystal asked.

“Someone called me a DILF and I looked it up! It means Daddy I’d Like to Fuck.”  
  
She snickered. “People have called me a MILF before.”   
  
His glasses gleamed. “Who? Where are they?”   
  
“No honey, none of that. Besides, why go after men you don’t know when you can go after me?” She asked, lifting her tail a bit.

The vulpine purred. “You certainly are my MILF.”  
  
“Meet me in the bedroom. I’ll finish the dishes and I’ll join you.”   
  
“Hell yes!” 

Keeping her promise, she finished up the dishes and met her husband in their bedroom. He took the liberty of turning off the lights and lighting a few candles, including their wedding candle. It got them both in the mood quickly.

As Marcus slept, he was getting a strange dream. It was like he was looking through the eyes of another. One who stood in front of a massive tree with hundreds of people floating around it. At the base of the tree was a cheetah woman, who had a soft smile and stood next to a human woman with three heads, so she wasn't really human like his aunt Sam. The left head had white skin, the middle had brown and the right was pitch black. They seemed to be beckoning him to join them. Not wanting to go, Marcus spoke. “No, I don’t know who any of you are.” He stated.

The two people seemed shocked by what he said, their eyes wide with shocked expressions. Quickly, the cheetah woman snarled and her eyes went red as her body changed. Her limbs grew out like black spikes and her head became more monstrous with enlarged teeth. “You!” She screeched. “That Cerinian filth child!”  
  
“M-Marcus?” The body he possessed whispered. “What are you doing here?”   
  
“Kovac?!” He exclaimed. “I-I don’t know. I’m just here…”   
  
“We need to run. Can you pull me out?”   
  
“I-I’ll try!”   
  
Marcus attempted to focus all of his emotions onto Kovac and being with him again. The pain of not having him by his side, the constant worry and his love for him all went into pulling him away from his crazy mother who was chasing him. Soon, a blue portal in the ground opened and Kovac fell right through it. Through Kovac’s eyes, he could see himself and Marina sleeping on the couch. Then, he hit the floor, waking Marcus from his dream.

When he woke up, he saw Kovac lying on the floor in front of him. He was wearing nothing and looked like he took a bad gash to his back, with three large claw marks present. His fall woke Marina up too, who widened her eyes. “Yo, who is that?” She asked.

“Kovac!” He exclaimed, quickly crawling onto the ground next to the lupine.

Despite him being nakid, Marcus quickly picked him up by the shoulders and rolled him over so that he could rest the lupine’s head on his lap. He was barely conscious. “Oh shit,” The rhino woman swore. “He’s really beat up. Is there a first aid kit?”  
  
“In the bathroom.” He replied. 

“On it!”  
  
Marina made a mad dash for the bathroom. Not knowing where it quite was, she began to open a bunch of doors, accidentally opening Fox and Krystal’s doors. Unfortunately for her, she got too good of a look. Fox was laid on the bed with his ankles and wrists cuffed to the corners as Krystal stood to the side with a riding crop and a corset. All of their eyes locked as Marina slowly closed the door. “What. The. Fuck?” She whispered. “I-I… I need to go find that medkit.” 

After opening one more door, she found the bathroom and went under the sinks to find the first aid kit. It had everything they needed, including bandages and disinfectant. She also grabbed Fox’s bathrobe for when they were done. Quickly, with the two items, she ran back to the room and propped Kovac up enough to bandage him. “Whoever did this didn’t get too deep.” She said. “But it’s big enough for him to lose too much blood and die.”  
  
“W-Will he be okay?” Marcus asked.

“I’ll… ugh, be fine.” Kovac groaned. “She got it patched up quick enough.”  
  
“Shit kid, you’re awake?” Marina asked. “I’m a bit surprised.”   
  
“I’ve felt worse. Damn mother. Can’t I have one nice parent?”   
  
“Either way… how did you get here?” She asked.

“Don’t know. I was time travelling to see my dad’s past when I was pulled into another world as I travelled. Before I knew it, I was standing in front of my mother and a human… if you could really call her that. Then Marcus talked through me and I ran. Before I knew it, I was here.”  
  
“Damn. Marcus, how did you do that?” 

He shrugged. “I-I don’t know.”  
  
It was incredibly strange to him too. Could he open portals? Was that even a thing his people could do? He’d have to ask his mom. He got up to do so, but Marina grabbed his wrist. “Your parents are busy.” She stated.

“What do you mean?” He asked, tilting his head.

“Come on. You know.”  
  
Immediately he realized, blushing as the two laughed at him. Marina patted Kovac’s shoulder as they laughed and spoke. “You know, you should see the things he wants to do with you.”   
  
“MARIA!” Marcus yelled.

“Oh really? What are they?” He asked, genuinely curious.

“Just check his search history. You’ll see.”  
  
“What is it that you want to do Marcus? You know I’d do anything for you.”   
  
That made the vulpine blush. “R-Really?”   
  
“Of course! I owe you my life. Plus, you’re the only person I’m attracted to.”   
  
“Hey… can we… you know, talk about that? If you’re ready?”   
  
He sighed. “I’m awfully tired, but it seems like you have a lot on your chest. Alright, let’s talk.”   
  
“Marina, can you give us the room.”   
  
She winked. “You got it little man.”   
  
“By Marina.”   
  
The woman walked out of the room, but stayed there and quickly pressed her ear to the door. She was soon joined by Fox and Krystal, who she told they’d need to have a talk later. Fox quickly hushed her as the two began to talk.

“Kovac, I love you.” Marcus said softly. “So… do you know if you love me too?”  
  
“I do.” He replied. 

“So, do you love me?”  
  
He nodded with a soft smile. “I do.”   
  
Marcus felt his heart leap, but when he looked at Kovac’s expression, it didn’t seem to match his own excitement. Like he wasn’t being sincere. “A-Are you sure?” He asked.

“See for yourself.” Kovac replied, lowering his head for Marcus to enter it.

Cautiously, the vulpine reached his hand forwards. He was worried about once again coming across that strange human woman and Kovac’s mother. Yet he continued and only searched for the lupine’s emotions. There was one overwhelming feeling, and all of it was being directed directly at the vulpine. Yet there were also tones of confusion, worry and even fear. Despite them, they were hardly noticeable in comparison to the feeling of absolute love. 

Suddenly, Marcus was pulled out of Kovac’s mind as the lupine took his hand off to kiss it. Slowly, he kissed along his arm, all the way up his shoulder and to his neck, eventually going to his cheeks and landing on his lips for the final kiss. He held it for a few seconds before pulling back, still holding Marcus’ chin. “Is enough clarification?” He asked.

The vulpine was still in a bit of a daze, but was able to slowly nod his head. With that confirmation, Kovac kissed him again. As he did so, Marcus slowly reached for his chest under the robes and under his shoulders. Putting a bit more force behind it, he pushed Kovac against the side of the couch and crawled on top.

Part of the vulpine couldn’t believe what he was doing. Despite no words being spoken, he knew he was about to _do it_ with Kovac after only knowing him for a week or two. He had his doubts about doing it, but the lupine seemed to have no intention of stopping, ready to conduct what he saw not only as an act of passion, but also an experiment. 

Outside, the adults could hear the heavy breathing and sound of lips smacking against one another. “Oh hell no.” Krystal whispered, reaching to open the door.

“No you don’t!” Fox whispered back, grabbing her wrist. “Let our son have this!”  
  
“Not with another boy!” She argued. 

“Alright.” Marina sighed. “Gonna have to do this the rough way.”  
  
Krystal knew what was about to happen, but could do nothing to stop the giant woman as she hoisted the vixen over her shoulder. She didn’t even attempt to resist as Marina carried her downstairs to get her a glass of wine. Meanwhile, Fox knocked on the door.

On the other side, the two heard the knocking. Marcus quickly got up from Kovac, who was about to undo his bathrobe tie. “W-What is it?” He asked.

“He buddy, it’s your dad. Just uh… wanted to remind you to at least use protection.”

“Ugh dad!” Marcus groaned. “Seriously?! Why would we need protection? We’re both boys!”  
  
“I know, I know, but I just… we don’t know what Kovac got from that station.”   
  
“I assure you I’m clean.” Kovac replied. “The doctors at the hospital said I had no chronic diseases or STDs.”   
  
“Well… who am I to stop you guys then? Carry on.”   
  
When Fox was out of earshot, Marcus groaned and laid on top of Kovac, who rubbed the back of his head in return. “Sorry Kov, but I can’t do _it_ knowing that my dad knows what we’re doing.”   
  
“Oh, well I can assure you that is not an issue for me. As I’m sure you can feel."  
  
The vulpine giggled. “Yeah, I feel it. Listen, Kovac, can we wait a little while before we… you know, have sex?”   
  
He tilted his head. “Well alright, but why?”   
  
“I-I dunno. I just don’t feel ready. Someday I will, but right now, I can’t. I’m sorry.”   
  
“Like I said, I’ll do anything for you, and if that includes waiting longer for our experiment, then sobeit.”   
  
Marcus smiled. “Thanks K.”   
  
“On one condition.”   
  
“Hmm? What is it?”   
  
“We get to stay here and cuddle.” He replied. “I enjoy your body on top of mine.”   
  
The vulpine snickered. “I’d be happy to snuggle with you.”

Before he got settled in, Marcus grabbed a blanket and a few extra pillows before turning on the TV and turning on a show called, The Fabulous Ms. Rita. It was about how a woman living nearly a few hundred years in the past, where women at the time were still expected to conform, was cheated on and in response she became a dirty-mouthed comedian. The show was easily Marcus’ favorite, and quickly grew on Kovac too. Before they knew it, they were binging the entire first season whilst holding one another, silently promising to not make the same mistake as the husband, Jule.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, one thing I want to address. Marcus calling Samus his aunt. I've always loved the idea of the Smash Tournament being a thing that actually happened at some point and with the two being a part of the original fighters from the same-ish time period (From a technological standpoint at least), I always thought Samus and Fox would be great friends. Plus, they have pretty similar stories. Dead parents, going after the person who killed them, space stuff, bounty hunter/mercenary work and being bad asses. Hell I shipped the two for awhile and still kinda do. The main difference is that one is a pilot with a team and the other is a super-soldier lone wolf. 
> 
> And yes, Bill is Marcus' godfather and Samus is his godmother. Deal with it.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know, I was always kinda worried that my stuff was too far out there. But then I was watching episode seven of WandaVision (WARNING SPOILERS) and saw that they literally revealed the main villain was Agatha, THROUGH A DAMN MUSICAL NUMBER! I... I don't even have words. One, I knew it. Two, that feels like literal lazy writing. Three, I am feeling a lot more confident now thanks to what they pulled.

Two weeks after Kovac suddenly dropped in on Marcus’ life once again, the two had been attempting to keep things moving steadily. However, they never went on a real date because Bill wouldn’t allow them out of the house. But because of no recent assassination attempts, he decided to allow the two to go on one date to a restaurant. It was going to be in a private room where Maria and Lovelace would be guarding inside the room, along with about four other guards outside the room. 

Kovac had to prepare for the date. He stood in front of a wide selection of clothes in a nice formal-wear store. By his side was his agent, Lovelace, a middle-aged raven woman. She was advising him on what to wear for the date. “I think you should wear something sleeveless.” She stated. 

Scanning the racks of clothes, he found a dark red vest with no sleeves and was large enough to cover his entire upper-body. It had ten buttons in total, with one row of five being for decoration and the other five being actual buttons to keep the vest closed. “Oh that’s perfect.” She stated. “Now we need bottoms. Really, any dress pants that are black will do.”

He nodded and found a pair of pants that were perfect. He put the outfit on and looked at himself in the mirror. It was a really good look for him, and it showed off his better-built arms thanks to Maria’s training. 

Their training had been intense. With both agents, along with Miyu, Fay and Fox, giving them lessons. Marcus really took after Fay with her long-range weapons and Kovac learned the most from Miyu, being really good with a knife and Systema. He was actually carrying a combat knife under his vest too. “You look good, Kovac.” His agent stated.

“Thanks. I hope Marcus likes it too. I do wonder what he’ll wear.”

“We’ll see. Now come on, I’ll drive you to the restaurant.”

He nodded and bought the outfit whilst wearing it. With it purchased, he sat down in the car next to Lovelace while a third agent drove. It was going to be his first real date with Marcus, and he was nervous. What if they got bored as they ate, or he made things awkward by accident? Out of anxiety, he tapped his foot on the ground and nibbled at his nails.

Eventually he had to put aside his fears when he arrived at the restaurant. He got there before Marcus was able to and ended up sitting in a small room with cream colored walls and a grandfather clock against a wall with an ornamented cabinet next to it and six vases on top of it, three on each side of the mirror. In front of the mirror was the table, with yellow-ish cushioned seats, a white tablecloth, a vase with two red flowers and various plates already set. However, Marcus had yet to arrive. 

Soon, after nearly ten minutes of waiting, the doors opened and Marcus’ agent walked in wearing her suit and sunglasses. Behind her was Kovac’s date. To the lupine’s shock, Marcus wore a white dress with a long gown and a top that left his back bare, but covered his entire chest aside from his shoulders and the top corners of his pectorals. The gown itself had one thin piece going down between his legs down to his white heels and then opened up to show his legs fully and then had a separate piece dragging behind him and covering his rear. Around his neck were white pearls and a bracelet on each wrist to match. 

The lupine’s jaw dropped upon seeing his date, and Marcus matched it upon seeing him. “Kovac… you look handsome.”

“And you look beautiful.” He replied, jaw still agape.

Somehow, Maria managed to keep her professionalism and stood behind, guarding the second door to the room. Before Marcus sat down, Kovac quickly got up and pulled out the chair for him. The vulpine kissed his partner’s cheek as he sat down. Once he was seated, Kovac returned to his seat and sat upright. His expression just read nervous and giddy all over it, making his partner giggle. “Calm down hon,” Marcus advised. “Just because we’re in a fancy place doesn’t mean I’m any different to talk to.”

“O-Okay. It’s just that… you’re so stunning tonight.”

The vulpine blushed. “Thanks. Abraham designed and made it for me.”

“He did a good job. I uh, really like how it shows your legs. I guess I never noticed how nice they were.”

“I have been told I have killer legs.” He leaned in. “How about I crush your face with them later tonight?”

Kovac cleared his throat as his blush grew. “I-I’d like that, yes, thank you. If that’s where you want to go tonight.”

“Yeah… I do. My parents are going to a party later tonight so we’ll have the house to ourselves. We’ll have fun then.”

“O-Okay. I’m ready whenever you are.”

Marcus giggled, but stopped when their waiter came by. He was quickly patted down by both Maria and Lovelace before he was allowed to stand closer to the two. The poor otter man was shaking as he took their orders. “A-As I’m sure you know, the legal drinking age was changed to eighteen recently. Could I interest you young men in some wine?”

“I’ve never had wine.” Kovac replied. “Marcus, I’ll get whatever you get.”

“Alright. In that case, we’ll take a Riesling. Bring only a glass, please.”

“Of course sir. We’ll also have a basket of freshly baked bread coming out soon.”

“That sounds great, thank you sir.”

The man nodded once and left to go get their bottle of wine. While they waited, Kovac simply stared at his partner, who stared right back. Eventually, Marcus spoke. “I had a dream last night.”

“Oh? What was it?”

“It was of you, but I was looking through your eyes like last time you went into the past.” He narrowed his eyebrows. “Were you time travelling again?”

The lupine froze. Just a week ago, he promised Marcus he wouldn’t time travel again, in fear of being caught by the woman and his mother again. However, it was the vulpine who had to talk him into staying out of the past, as Kovac still very much wanted to learn his father’s story. 

So, with a heavy heart, Kovac nodded slowly, making his partner’s angered expression deepen. “Come on we talked about this!” The vulpine scolded.

“I know, I know, but I just had to… it’s eating up at me.”

“But is it worth your life?!” He yelled suddenly, making the lupine jump.

Once again, his emotions began to project. Not only was it anger, but also fear and sadness. Everyone in the room, including Kovac, began to cry as the room turned a different shade of blue. Soon, Marcus was able to calm himself enough to stop projecting his emotions. By that time, the waiter came back and poured them each a glass of wine. Marcus took a sip of his quickly and spoke after. “I’m scared of you getting hurt. I love you Kovac, I don’t want to lose you. You’re the best thing to happen to me in a long time.”

Kovac wiped away his tears. “I-I understand. Besides, I saw enough of my dad’s past to understand why he is the way he is now.”

“What happened then?”

“Well, for one, he didn’t kill James, but he did lose his eye to him. During that I… I saved him and I talked to James.”

“Whoa, what did he say?”

The lupine got silent. Meeting James was life-changing for him. The vulpine showed him a kindness and wisdom that even Fox couldn’t match. He even went as far as to tell James that he was Wolf’s future son. Looking back, he remembered the words of James. “Your secret is safe with me, kid. No one’s going to know what you told me. But let me give you some advice; you might think that you’re doomed to live in a part of a cycle. I promise ya, that’s not the case. Your life is still your own, not just a part of this big cycle. Live it to the fullest.”

“And that was what he said to me.” Kovac said to Marcus. “Even though I knew him for only a little while, it was so life changing. I was honestly starting to fear we were just part of a cycle. The strangest thing though… I never told James I was afraid… He just… knew.”

“Dad would tell me about how grandpa had his way with people.” Marcus replied, smiling. “I’m glad you got to meet him.”

“Me too.”

He was interrupted when the waiter poured him his glass of wine. Cautiously, he brought it to his nose and sniffed it twice. It was an interesting scent, somewhat reminding him of the cleaning chemicals he used to use for his harvesting room. But there was also a fruity smell to it, so he drank it. Immediately he had to hold his nose. He really hated it. “No, sorry,” He apologized coughing. “Not my favorite.”

“Aw sorry hon.” Marcus replied.

“Not your fault I don’t like white wine. Maybe I’ll try a red. Either way,” He opened his menu. “Grandma taught me enough about food for me to know what I want.”

“Awesome. I’m just going to get the veal parmesan. What about you?”

“Hmm… I’ll have the alfredo bake.”

“Right away sirs.” The waiter replied. “Would you care for an appetizer or dessert?”

“Oh! Can we get calamari for an appetizer? And for dessert, a large slice of chocolate cake to share?”

“Of course. I’ll go put in the order now.”

The two thanked him and he went back into the kitchen to place the order. When he was gone, the two smiled at one another once again and went back to talking. “So Kovac, I was wondering about something…”

“Hmm? What is it?”

“Well, I’m going to the Corneria Flight Academy next year and I was wondering if you’d want to go with me. I know it may not be your exact area of interest, but I want you by my side.”

“It’s a lot to think about. What would we do after?”

“I’m going to reform Star Fox.” He said immediately. “Lylat still needs a lot of fixing and I want to help with it. And of course, I want to do it with you.”

Kovac sighed. “Like I said, that’s a lot to think about. Besides… there’s something I want to do as well.”

Marcus tilted his head. “Oh, what is it?”

“I want to be a father. I want to adopt children in bad homes and give them a chance at a better life so that no one may go through what I went through.”

The vulpine widened his eyes and nearly spat out his wine. Where did that idea come from? He had never talked about being a father before. But it also made sense. He grew up abused and there were many children out there who needed an escape. If he could do that for at least a few, he’d be happy. And judging by his stern facial expression, Kovac was serious. “If I were to be in Star Fox, then I wouldn’t have that chance.” He stated, gripping his hands into fists as his voice thinned. “Of course I still want to be with you and love you, but I don’t know if Star Fox is for me.”

“Oh… okay. I-I get it, and I still want to be with you too. But I don’t know how I would be as a father.”

“Let’s give it some thought. We’re only eighteen, we still have a lot of years ahead of us. Provide that nothing bad happens.”

“Please don’t say that, I don’t want to think about it.”

“Okay. I’m sorry for bringing it up.”

After about two minutes of silence, the waiter returned and offered a glass of red wine to Kovac. The lupine accepted and found the dry red to be a lot more appealing to the sweet Riesling. So when the calamari came, he had something good to pair it with. “I’ve never had anything so fancy.” Kovac stated, eyeing the fried piece of octopus on his fork. 

“It’s good, promise.” Marcus replied.

Trusting his boyfriend, Kovac put the fried tentacles into his mouth and chewed slowly. As he did so, Marcus watched with dreamy eyes. It was like watching a child eat a new piece of food for the first time. To him, Kovac was so innocent it was adorable. Yet he was more than mature in other aspects of himself. The disparity of the lupine was what possibly attracted him the most. 

“It’s pretty good.” Kovac stated, breaking Marcus’ trance. “Were you… watching me eat?”

“N-no!” He replied, flustered. “Just… making sure you like it.”

The lupine chuckled. “Is there nothing about me that doesn’t amuse you?”

“This sassy side of you.” The vulpine answered. “Comes out of nowhere, I swear!”

“Hey I get it from you.”

“No you get it from Piper!”

The lupine frowned in response. He hadn’t seen the group for a while. The only one he had seen recently was Abraham, who was worried about how silent he was. In reality, Kovac forgot to get in contact with them. Regardless, he was more than happy to see the buck again. “So, are they joining the team?” Kovac asked.

“Piper and Earl are for sure, but Jessie and Boone are planning on being cops.”

Kovac tilted his head. “Who is Boone?”

Marcus froze with his wine glass halfway to his lips. After clearing his throat and putting the glass down he spoke. “Boone is Bonnie, but he's transitioning. So it’s he/him now and he goes by Boone.”

“Oh, okay.”

The vulpine leaned back with a crooked glance. “What? You’re just… chill with this?”

“Of course I am. Gender dysphoria is a serious mental condition, you know.”

“Kovac, it’s not a mental condition.” He argued.

“What else would it be? It’s a condition that must be treated. In my opinion, the best way for that is to give them a transition surgery and provide hormone pills. Otherwise, they can fall into deep bouts of depression that lead to suicide. And I want that for no one.”

Marcus groaned. His logic and reasoning was there, but he didn’t quite understand that being transgender wasn’t a mental condition. Even more confusing, he believed that the treatment for it was feeding into what he saw was as a condition, whereas most psychologists would try to push against what some may describe as an 'urge.' “You know, I’m sure I could graph genitals onto him if that’s what he wishes.” The lupine stated.

“W-what?! You can’t just give him some other person’s dick and balls!” Marcus exclaimed.

“Why not? People are given organs from others. Why do you think Wolf is so rich? Organs.”

“Kovac… you don’t just… ugh!”

The lupine’s ears fell. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to anger you.”

“I’m not angry, hon, just frustrated. You see everything from this weird analytical perspective. Even sex! You just think it’s some kind of experiment that I’m not ready to participate in!”

“That’s…” He paused. He was about to deny Marcus’ claims, but he was right. For the past two weeks that was what was going through his mind. All he wanted to know was how it felt. “You’re… you’re right. I was only viewing it like. But you being the one… that means something. I don’t feel this way for anyone else, nor does my body react the way it does for others when I’m close to you. It’s special to me, even if I see it as a weird experiment.”

Marcus frowned. “At least you’re honest.”

“Are you still willing to tonight?”

The vulpine’s coy smile returned. “Yeah, I am. I’ll be your willing test subject. Is there anything specific you want to try?”

Kovac smirked. “Well, I heard about this thing called roleplay. I’d like to do a doctor and patient thing sometime, but for our first time, I want it to be simple… something romantic.”

“So you do get romance a bit… just took me getting angry, huh?”

“I know what you like to hear. By the end of the night, no one is going to know you better than me.”

Marcus had to cross his legs to prevent his gown from rising. Keeping his body calm was a challenge, especially Kovac undid a few of his buttons, claiming it was hot. That made Maria snicker behind the vulpine. Both of their eyes widened, having forgotten about the two agents standing there. It practically stabbed the mood in the heart. 

Thankfully, the main course came. Not only did Marcus’ meal come with veil, but also pasta in red sauce with a dash of wine in it. And Kovac’s was beautiful. It had a solid layer of mozzarella cheese on top, some spinach, mushrooms and rigatoni pasta, all practically drowned in alfredo sauce. The smell coming from it made their mouths water. They were about to dig in when their agents stopped them, holding one hand on their shoulders and another holding a fork. “Sorry Marcus,” Maria apologized, smirking. “Gotta make sure it’s not poisoned.” 

Both agents took a bite and smiled. However, almost as soon as they did, Maria began to cough. The two teens looked at the agent as she fell to the ground. “Shit, it’s been poisoned!” Kovac exclaimed. “We have to make her regurgitate!”

With no hesitation, Kovac got to the ground and stuck his fingers in Maria’s mouth. Soon after, she threw up. It was disgusting to watch, forcing Marcus to look away. After about a whole minute, she expelled all of her bowels and stood up. “T-Thanks guys.” The rhino said. “I didn’t think it was actually going to be poisoned.”

“Maria, we need to get them out now.” Lovelace advised as she lifted a finger to her earpiece. “All units, someone attempted to poison Marcus. Search the kitchen and lock down the area. Maria and I will get them to the car.”

“Roger that.” An agent replied. “Alright men, sweep and clear the kitchen and area!”

The other agents began to move as Maria and Lovelace began to escort the two out of the restaurant, guns at the ready. They brought them to the armored car and quickly began to drive the two to a safehouse, contacting General Grey as they did so. “Hey, we’re going to be okay guys.” Maria said in a soft, ensuring voice as Lovelace drove.

Almost immediately, her words were contradicted. Kovac got another vision quickly, seeing a masked assailant with a rocket launcher on a building. It fired and exploded the car, killing them all. “Lovelace, bank it to the right now!” Kovac yelled.

“What?”

Just like that, the rocket fired. Lovelace turned the car quick enough for it to not completely blow them up, but they were still flipped over. For Kovac, everything was in slow motion once again. Shards of glass were flying everywhere and Maria's hair was going all over, as did Marcus' dress. The lupine looked to his right and saw a shard of glass going straight for the side of Marcus’ head. Before it reached him, the lupine reached over and shifted the directory of it. When he did that, time resumed. 

The car flew in the air upside down and landed on its side in the middle of the road. Just as they thought it was all over, the car shifted and landed upside down. All of them were cut up from the glass, but Marcus had it the worse. He yelled out in pain from the large glass shard in his thigh. It was the same shard that he shifted away from his head. Better the leg than the head. Quickly, Kovac reached over to his partner, but as he looked over, he saw two feet heading towards their car.

He tried to unbuckle himself, but found that the seatbelt was stuck. Not sure what else to do, he closed his eyes and thought of the past only a few seconds. Right before Marcus’ eyes, he disappeared, but reappeared right outside the car with no injuries to speak of. Quickly, he attacked the man approaching them with his bare hands.

The man wore a black bodysuit with a mask to match. His only defining feature were his impressive muscles and piercing yellow eyes. It seemed that he wasn’t expecting Kovac, because the lupine was able to deliver a spin kick to his face. 

There was enough force in the kick to send the man skirting across the ground. He quickly recovered, rolling onto his feet. With the time available, Kovac made a mad dash for the car and worked to get Marcus out. He got him out, but he was losing a lot of blood from that injury. “You’re gonna be alright Marcus.” The lupine assured him. “I’ll handle this guy.”

He laid the vulpine in a comfortable position and raised his legs up against the car so that the blood wouldn’t leak out the wound as fast. Just as he got up, a gunshot went off and time slowed. Kovac looked up and saw the bullet too close to his face. Like it wasn’t much of anything, he slid the bullet aside and looked at the man. Immediately his eyes widened. The man wasn’t slowed by the time stop at all. “What the hell?” Kovac asked himself. “H-How is this-”

“Come on, I should be smart enough to figure this out.” The man interrupted. 

“Wait… no… you’re not.”

The man put down his gun and reached for his mask. Once it was off, Kovac could clearly see the gray furred face of the adult lupine before him. He knew who the man was immediately, but couldn’t, nor did he want to, believe it. “Y-Y-You’re me, aren’t you? Me from the future.”

“There you go.” He replied. “This… this is different.”

“What do you mean? What’s so different?”

“You… well, me, really.” The future self chuckled. “Ah, this time stuff is kinda bullshit, but I do what the ladies tell me.”

“Ladies? You mean that three headed human. Who is she?”

“You’ll be working for her soon enough. Just like the rest of us.”

“I don’t understand.”

The other Kovac groaned. “Guess I can’t blame ya for not knowing, and I guess I deserve an explanation. So l, here’s the gist. Our mom never died, but for some reason… yours did. And because the universe lost a life that was supposed to exist, it compensated for it. With him.” He pointed to Marcus, who also wasn’t slowed down by time. “He’s the anomaly the lady wants me to kill.”

“No!” Kovac yelled, stepping in front of his boyfriend. “If you kill him, I’ll kill myself! What will happen then?”

“Then?” He paused, scowling. “Then the timeline is broken for sure and we’ve lost.”

“Exactly. You kill Marcus, I go down too.”

“Not if I stop you.”

Before Kovac could do any more, the man pulled out a throwing knife and chuckled it at Marcus. Somehow, the lupine managed to lunge in time and take the blow, the knife digging into his shoulder. When he was hit, time resumed. “Well, at least you’re not dead.” The adult Kovac stated. “But he will soon.”

He began to walk towards Marcus, bringing out another knife. Kovac was helpless as his future self walked up to his love. Just as he was about to reach him, there was a loud horn. All of them looked to the source and saw only the headlights of an armored truck gunning for them. The Kovac attempted to jump through time to avoid it, but was too late as the truck plowed him down, sending him flying off the road. 

From the front of the truck stepped out their savior. It was Bill, holding a shotgun in both hands. “Yahoo!” He cheered, laughing with the brightest of smiles. “Just in time.”

“U-Uncle Bill.” Marcus whispered, putting on his best smile. “Thank you.”

“I’m not letting my godson die.”

Just as he said that, the Kovac reappeared and attempted to stab Bill in the neck. The old man still had some skill, ducking down and using his stock to hit the lupine in the gut. With another kick, he pushed the time-traveler back and aimed his shotgun, only for the lupine to be gone again. “To hell with this. Didn’t think I’d need to call her, but I need the help.”

The general pressed a button on his wristwatch, which displayed a symbol of a circle and a sharp “S” on it. It went from orange to green, confirming that the person was on her way. “T-Minus two minutes?” He asked, chuckling. “Didn’t think she’d be here. Just gotta hold out till then.”

To make sure the two were safe, he backed up against them, using his body as a shield. If anyone was going to be dying, he was determined it was either going to be him, or the time traveler. Then, the lupine reappeared, holding a pistol. Bill fired first, grazing the lupine who rolled to dodge it. In response, he fired his blaster. 

Using a hexagon deflector that Fox gave him as a fiftieth birthday gift two years back, Bill deflected the shots. In that time, he lost track of the lupine. As he looked around, a bullet went off and he was hit in the ankle. He fell to the floor and saw that the lupine was laying under the truck with his blaster aimed right at the general’s head. Before he pulled the trigger, Bill was able to use the deflector once again, shielding him and the teens.

But now he was a sitting duck. He was bound to the ground and lost track of the lupine again. Then, the man appeared again, but formed in the direction Bill wasn’t looking. He kicked his shotgun away and pulled out his blaster. “You put up a good fight for an old man.” He said. “But this was inevitable.”

He pulled the trigger, yet nothing came out. His blaster was empty. It made Bill laugh joyously as the wind began to kick up. He looked behind him and saw an orange gunship with a green visor heading towards the ground. It only made him laugh louder. “Ah hahaha! Oh buddy you are so fucked!”

“W-Who the hell is that?” The lupine asked as an elevator began to descend from the ship.

“That… that my friend, is the biggest badass in all of space.”

The elevator fully descended and in it, they could see a tall armored figure. It had two large, round shoulder pads and a helmet that looked like the ship, except it was red. The same color went for the torso portion of the armor, but was orange everywhere else aside from the blue right arm, which wasn’t really as much of an arm as it was a cannon. With their arrival, Bill spoke like a wrestling announcer. “It is my honor to introduce you to the one, the only, Samus fucking Aran!”

With her name announced, the bounty hunter jumped to the ground, landing with a superhero pose that caused the road to break under her. Marcus was in shock. He hadn’t seen his aunt in a decade, what was she doing back now? The future Kovac was in shock too, and didn’t pay attention when Bill used his good leg to kick him down to the ground, giving Samus the perfect opportunity. Without hesitation, she fired a pulse blast from her weapon. The lupine narrowly dodged it and got back onto his feet. He fired his blaster at the armored woman, only for the shots to reflect off like they were nothing. 

Knowing nothing about her, he didn’t know how to quite respond when she rolled up into a ball and booked it towards him. Once again he fired. The results were the same as the last attempt. She got close enough to him to quickly reform into her regular size and kick him in the jaw with her armored foot. It broke the bone and a few teeth instantly, allowing her to score another blow, using her spiked kneecap to stab him in the gut.

When he got impaled, blood spewed out of his mouth, coating the bounty hunter’s helmet in a shade of crimson red. After wiping it off with her left hand, she placed the arm cannon under his shattered chin and fired. 

His head blew up in a glorious mess of gore. It was like a fountain and it covered the teens, Bill and Samus. After a few seconds, the woman threw the body to the side and looked at the younger lupine.

Kovac stared at his future self’s dead body with horror. He quite literally just watched himself die. It didn’t help that blood was still pouring out, along with brain matter and all sorts of other fun bodily stuff. Sure he had seen it all before, but it was a little different when it was his future-self.

After observing and taking mental notes of her godson’s boyfriend, Samus walked up to the three of them and knelt down. Her helmet glowed for a second before disappearing into the rest of her suit, giving them a view of her face. She hadn’t aged much since Marcus last saw her, but did notice small wrinkles on her cheeks and forehead. Her hair was going gray too, with long strands of it being the aged color. Despite that, she had a smile on her face. “Hey Blue.” She greeted her godson, rubbing his head. “Come on, I’ll put you in a bacta tank.”  
  
“What about me Sam?” Bill asked.

“You just need a bacta patch for that.” She looked down at Kovac. “And who’s that?”  
  
“Marcus’ boyfriend.”   
  
Her eyes widened. “No shit?”   
  
“No shit. Also, I have two others injured. They need help.”   
  
“Alright, I’ll get you three in first then I’ll call an ambulance for them. We’ll talk more inside.”   
  
Bill nodded and stood up with the help of Samus. Kovac, despite the knife in his shoulder, picked up Marcus and managed to get him over his good shoulder. He took one step and nearly dropped the vulpine. Thankfully for him, Samus caught him with her free arm. “I know you love him kid, but you need to let me handle him. You’re too hurt.”   
  
“I-It’s nothing.” He replied. 

“Don’t be arrogant.” She scolded. “You have a whole knife in your shoulder. I’ll patch you up inside, now get moving.”  
  
Kovac glared at the human woman. She came off as a real hardass and it was rubbing him the wrong way. Regardless of that, he followed her inside. There, she stripped Marcus of his clothes, aside from his underwear, and took out the glass shard. He yelled as it ripped out, making Kovac shiver. But all he could do was watch as Samus put a mouthpiece with a tube on Marcus’ face and throw him into a tube full of a strange liquid. After staying in there for a few seconds, Marcus closed his eyes and floated in the water, which slowly began to heal his wounds. “Amazing.” Kovac whispered, hobbling up to the tube. “I’ll have to research this.”   
  
“Not now Einstein.” Samus replied, walking over with a box of weird bandages. “We need to handle that knife. I’m going to take it out now.”   
  
“It’s alright, I got it.”   
  
Kovac knew exactly what to do to remove the knife with as little pain as possible. He did it fast and smooth, so he hardly felt a thing. When it was out, Samus put the patch on and it glowed a dim blue. “There, that should heal it in a day or so.” She stated. 

“Thank you. And what about Marcus?”  
  
“He’ll be out of there in a few hours. Probably three.”   
  
“Alright… still.”   
  
“I get it, I don’t like seeing him injured either. Sit down kid, let’s talk.”

He nodded and followed Samus into another room. It looked like a rec room, with a couch and TV. Everything was nailed down too so that nothing would fly all over while she was in combat. So they sat down on the couch, where she deactivated her armor, putting her back in her tight latex blue suit. While most would be ogling at her body, Kovac remained staring at her face. “Wow, you really are gay, huh?” She asked.

“Demisexual.” He replied.

“What’s that?”  
  
“I’m not physically or romantically attracted to someone unless I have a deep emotional bond. Since I hardly know you, I feel nothing.”   
  
“Humph, neat. Kinda romantic, actually. 

“Marcus says the same thing.” He sighed, covering his eyes. “Please tell me he’s going to be okay? That tank doesn’t have any weird side effects, does it?”  
  
“Maybe a dry throat and dizziness coming out of it, but other than that, he’ll be completely fine. Promise.”   
  
“Okay… dammit, only if I had a better grip on my powers I could’ve seen this sooner.” 

“Don’t blame yourself kid. You held out until Bill and I got there, that’s pretty decent. Who was that guy, by the way?”  
  
He looked up at her. “It was me. My future self.”   
  
Her eyes rounded slightly. “That’s a new one. Do your powers have something to do with time?”   
  
“Exactly that. I can travel into the past and back to the present. But for the future, I only catch glimpses when my life is in danger.”   
  
“Interesting. And why would your future self try to kill you? If he did that, he’d die.”   
  
“He wasn’t. He was trying to kill Marcus.” He looked over at the hallway, where Marcus was recovering on the other side. “Marcus is an anomaly in time. He wasn’t ever supposed to exist. The other me told me that my mom wasn’t supposed to die and because she did, the universe balanced things out by creating Marcus.”   
  
“Damn. That’s pretty tough. And who’s your dad?”   
  
“You might know him. He’s Wolf O’Donnell, but I go by Kovac Valentino.”

Samus flinched. She remembered Wolf. They were actually pretty good friends. Fox told her to stay away from him when he first joined during the Brawl season, but when she was placed in a duos tournament with the lupine, she had no choice. During it, they nearly won, only losing to Meta Knight and Ganon in the finals. Wolf was nice enough during it, talking about his girlfriend on occasion to her and how he hoped to be a father soon. “How was he… as a father?”  
  
“Think of the worst person you know… and imagine them having a child and turning them into a slave.” He replied, averting his gaze.

“Really? Hate to say it, but I find it hard to believe. Wolf used to tell me about how he was excited to be a father.”  
  
The lupine picked his ear up, one ear twitching. “P-Pardon?”   
  
“Yeah. He was really hyped for it. Then I guess your mom died and that changed. I’m really sorry you went through the shit you did.”   
  
“So Fox was right… Wolf was a nice person at some point.”

“He was. Sorry he changed. Is he still kicking?”  
  
“For now. I was… am, planning on killing him. He still has organ harvesting operations all over Corneria that need to be shut down.”   
  
“If you need it, I’ll help you.”   
  
“I can’t ask you to do that. Nor do I want you to. This is my issue to deal with. I’m the one who helped build it and it is what it is now because of my efforts.”   
  
“He forced you to do those things. You can’t blame yourself.”   
  
“No, but I did them anyway. I need to rectify them.”   
  
She nodded. “I get that. Listen, I won’t stop you, but you make sure you come back in one piece for Marcus.”   
  
“I would never leave him on his own. Promise.”   
  
The human woman smiled and leaned back into the couch just as Bill walked in. The patch had healed him enough to help him walk again. He smiled at Kovac. “So was that your future-self?” He asked.

“Yes sir.” The lupine answered. 

“Figured. He looked a lot like you too. So, why’d he go after you?”  
  
Kovac sighed and ran him through everything again. How Marcus was never supposed to exist and how his future self and that woman guarding the tree was behind the assasination attempt. It all sounded crazy, but Samus seemed to believe everything he said. “Then you need to kill her.” She stated. “It sounds like she’s trying to control all of us.”   
  
“Sure seems like it. My question now is how much our timeline has diverged and what it’s doing to that universe.”

Meanwhile, in another plane of existence, a human woman with three heads walked next to Kovac’s mother. The two approached a small spout in the ground. The woman kneeled down and looked at it with scowls. “The timeline has completely separated.” The middle whispered, her voice shaky. “So this is what happens.”  
  
“Can’t you just control this one too?” The cheetah woman asked.

“We cannot.” The right head, also the closest to the mother, answered. “Another being like us will soon arrive to watch over this new timeline.”  
  
“So that’s why you try to keep the timeline constant. Because when it diverges, more trees emerge and more beings like yourselves are created. Something to challenge your power.”

“Exactly.” The left stated. 

“Can’t we just destroy this little sprout?”  
  
“Impossible.” The middle replied. “These trees are indestructible. Even if we were to die, our tree would live on.”   
  
The four women stared down at the little sprout which grew at a fast rate. It grew an inch by the hour. Give it a week or so, it would be big enough to summon its own deity to guard it. “So does that mean we’ve lost?” The cheetah asked.

“Not yet. If we can kill the anomaly in time, then we can stop it and the timeline would die. From there, we can turn that Kovac into our servant still.”  
  
“And if we can’t?”   
  
“We have to. Otherwise things will never be the same and we could risk creating yet another tree.”

“I didn’t realize how delicate and exact everything needed to be. But how is it that the tree was only created now? Marcus has been around for awhile.”  
  
“That’s because he’s just starting to influence things. Kovac was never meant to break free from his father. It’s a miracle that the tree only broke through the ground now. And _you_ were never supposed to die. What happened?”   
  
The mother frowned. “I-I don’t know… I just felt a shock then I was gone.”   
  
That made all of the women gasp softly. The right spoke first. “A shock… that could only be one person.” 

“The Goddess of Judgement.” The left whispered softly.

“Daltisk…” The middle stated with a hiss. “But how did she gain enough power to reach past the Dark Realm and kill her?!”  
  
“She is more powerful than us.” The left continued. “Well, she is now thanks to you sacrificing Ilia.”   
  
“Don’t remind me, sisters. Not a day goes by that I don’t regret that decision.”   
  
“Daltisk, like the one the Cerinians once worshipped?”   
  
All three heads nodded. “Indeed. Our ancient enemy.”   
  
“Can we stop her?” 

“Indeed. We must kill Marcus and then subjugate Kovac into servitude. But we can only do that if he time travels again.”  
  
“Then we’ll have to do something that makes him… we’ll have to send another Kovac, even if that means he dies in the process.”   
  
“I understand.”   
  
The two looked down back at the sprout of a tree, which had already grown a bit too much. That growth possibly just cost them another day. It was most likely because Samus met Kovac, something that was also not supposed to happen, causing another growth in the tree.

As to what other deity could be summoned, the woman of three heads knew it could only be one being. That was her great rival, who nearly beat her for control of the first tree. If it wasn’t for her underhanded trick, sacrificing her fourth head, Ilia, she would’ve lost to the Goddess of Judgement, Daltisk.

Back in the mortal plane, another three hours had passed and Marcus emerged from the bacta tank with a dizzy head. Both Kovac and Samus had to keep him standing up. He looked over at his boyfriend first and smiled. “Thank you,” He whispered. “You saved me, again.”  
  
“And I’ll keep on doing it. No matter what, I love you.” Kovac replied.

“I love you too.”  
  
Using what little strength he had, Marcus kissed the lupine for a few seconds before asking to be laid down for a nap. Samus agreed and carried him to her bedroom. Soon, Kovac joined him in the bed, just making sure the vulpine wasn’t alone. Seeing the two together made the bounty hunter smile and she walked out to make an important call.

She sat back down on her couch next to Bill. He already made the call that she needed to, but she still wanted to talk to the man on the other end. So he handed her off the phone. “Hello?” The person asked. “Who is this?”  
  
“Hey Foxy, it’s your best gal-pal Samus.” She replied, smiling.

“S-Samus? What are you doing here?”  
  
“I got exiled from the Federation and came to visit. Lucky you that I did, Marcus was in trouble.”   
  
“Wait what?! How did you get exiled?”

“I may or may not have blown up a Federation lab that was trying to create an army of Ridley to control. So yeah, I got in trouble after that.”  
  
“Power-hungry bastards.” The vulpine growled. “But it’s nice to have you here. Thank you for saving my son.”

“Hey that’s my godson, I’d do anything for him. Closest thing to a son I have.”  
  
“Yeah… thanks Sam. Dear god, why are they trying to kill my son?”   
  
“Well, we think we know.”   
  
Over the phone, which wasn’t her ideal way of doing things, she told Fox why Marcus was the target of a higher being. When she was done telling her friend that information, the vulpine hung up and relayed the message to his wife, who seemed to understand. “Krystal, you know something, don’t you?” He asked. “Tell me. What the hell do you know?”   
  
“I know that the Yincamori are slaves to the Goddess of Crossroads Amadream, who guards the Time Tree Bashveil, but that’s it.”   
  
“But why is our son an anomaly? Did you know about that?”   
  
“No…” She answered, frowning. “I knew nothing about that. I just had our son, that’s all.”   
  
“Alright… alright. So what does that mean?”   
  
“It means that another tree is being born to compensate and record this new timeline. That’s what the elders told me when I asked them what happens when another timeline is formed. And that means another deity will be summoned. Something to challenge Amadream.”   
  
“Hold long will that take?”   
  
“A week or so. In that time, we have to keep Marcus safe. Otherwise, we’ll lose our son and hope to save Kovac from a life of servitude.”   
  
“I thought you didn’t like Kovac?”   
  
She huffed. “Well… he makes Marcus happy and I guess if the Yincamori are ending then so should the Cerinians. It’s only right.”   
  
“If you’re comfortable with it, then fine.” He placed a hand on her thigh. “Talk to me if you need to, okay?”   
  
“I will, promise”   
  
With a smirk, she kissed his cheek and turned back to the road. She felt worried, unlike her son, who felt safe in the arms of the man he loved the most. His nap was a short one, and that was all he needed to get himself up again. Kovac was awake too, never having fallen asleep to ensure Marcus’ safety. “How are you feeling?” The lupine asked.

“A lot better.” The smaller teen replied. “I can’t believe my aunt Sam saved us.”  
  
“And your uncle Bill. He played a big role too.”   
  
“Yeah, he did. My dad really knew how to choose good godparents. Do you have any?”   
  
He paused. “Maybe? I don’t know, Wolf never spoke of it.”   
  
“What about Panther? Was he ever a part of your dad’s organization?”   
  
“No. When he started selling organs, Panther had enough and left. I have no idea where he is now, though.”

“At least he had some sanity.”

“Yeah…” He paused. “So, what do you want to do now?”  
  
“Well, if you’re up for it, when we get to the safehouse, I still want to have sex.”   
  
The lupine turned bright red. “I-I-I didn’t realize you were so revitalized.”

“I’ve got enough energy for a few rounds.” The vulpine smirked as he walked his fingers up Kovac’s chest. “Do you?”  
  
“Absolutely. How about we keep each other entertained for a bit?”   
  
Saying that, Kovac reached behind Marcus’ head and began to make out with him. Soon, the room was filled with the sounds of lips smacking together and the occasional moan. They were quiet enough for Samus not to hear and when they got to the safehouse, they were more than in the mood. 

Thanks to the healing patch, Kovac was able to carry Marcus inside the building they were going to be staying in. It was in a small town, and wasn't as much of a house as it was an apartment that was built under the ground. 

They met up with a small badger woman who had short black hair and a stubby build. She was wearing a red and black striped shirt with pants that had suspenders hanging loosely. “You two are my new tenets?”  
  
“I believe so.” Kovac replied.

“Alright, follow me. I’ll show you your new digs.”

The two nodded and Kovac continued to carry his partner down the hallways. To call the apartment something spectacular would be the most inaccurate thing ever. It was hardly anything. It was a one room apartment with a bathroom that wasn’t even separated by a door, there was only a curtain. And the bed had to be pulled down from the wall and once it was down, it would block the door. However, there was a small kitchen with a fridge and a hot pad for a stove. The woman went over to it to make sure it worked.

“Motherfucker!” The woman swore, smacking the top of the hot plate. “This piece of shit isn’t working! I’ll have to get you guys a new one.”  
  
Kovac leaned over to whisper into his boyfriend’s ear. “This place is reminding me of Sargasso.”   
  
Hearing that, Marcus’ ears perked up and spoke immediately. “Ma’am, this place is scaring my friend.”   
  
She turned around with a flat expression on her face. “Oh I’m so sorry.” She apologized, monotone. “Would me playing the world’s smallest violin help?” 

The vulpine scowled. “That is so inconsiderate of you! You have no idea what my boyfriend has been through!”  
  
“Marcus please,” The lupine pleaded. “It’s alright. Besides, it can’t be too much like Sargasso with you here. Well, not behind bars anyways.”   
  
“Heh heh…”   
  
Behind the two, Samus coughed to get their attention. It was time for them to say goodbye. So the godparents hugged their godchild tightly. Bill even went as far as to leave his shotgun behind, leaning it against the wall next to the door. And Samus gave them a small device that they could use to signal her for help. As they left, Bill gave some parting words. “Have fun you two, but be quiet, the walls here are thin. And if you insist on anal, just use your saliva. And don’t forget to douche, Marcus!”

Both of them blushed and the elder giggled as he shut the door. As they left, they could hear Samus speak to the general. “I forgot you and Fox used to bang.” 

“I remember a lot of things from that time. Fun times, but I’ve got younger people to fool around with now.”  
  
As soon as he heard that, Marcus’ jaw dropped and Kovac did everything in his power not to laugh. The vulpine had to sit down to. One, he had no idea his own dad was bi or pansexual. Two, he never once thought the two used to fuck. Three, why was it so obvious that Bill used to bottom for Fox? And finally four, why did Bill think Marcus was going to bottom?

Once they could no longer hear the footsteps of the godparents, they faced one another. Marcus held both looked up at his boyfriend with wide eyes. “D-Did I mishear?”

“No, no…” The lupine snorted. “I heard it too.”  
  
He put two fingers to each temple. “What the fuck?” He whispered. 

“I don’t know, hon, I don’t know. But he gave some good advice. So… are you ready to take it?”

“I’ve told you I’ve been ready for this.”

He nodded once. “I am. I’m ready for this.”

Kovac loomed over Marcus. Slowly, he reached his head down and kissed him once before going back to make sure the door to the apartment was closed and returned to his boyfriend. Just as they were about to start, they realized the woman was still there. She had been distracted trying to get the hot pad to work again, so she didn’t hear them talking. Upon realizing what was going on, she freaked. “Jesus fuzzy Christ balls!” She exclaimed, jaw agape. “Were you two seriously about to fuck right in front of me?!”

The two teens stared back at her with their eyes wide. It was a tense moment of silence before the woman began to mumble various expletives to herself as she left the room, leaving the two in an awkward, yet still horny state. They jumped when she slammed the door shut. Once they could no longer hear the footsteps, they turned back to one another. “Well then, shall we continue?” Kovac asked, reaching for the top of the bed.

“Please do.” Marcus replied, smiling. 

The vulpine watched as his boyfriend pulled down the bed. While he did that, he stripped down, showing his new muscles. He had been eating a lot more with the encouragement of Maria, so his ribs were no longer exposed. Now he had a decently built chest and a small set of abs, which weren’t much compared to Kovac, who still had a thin frame, but more muscle to it.

When Kovac pulled the bed down, they realized it had no sheets or even pillows. “Come on, seriously?!” Marcus groaned. “There have to be some somewhere.”  
  
“Oh look.” Kovac commented, pointing up at the shelf above the bed. “There’s sheets and pillows up there. Help me make the bed?”   
  
“Sure.”   
  
Together, the two laid down the plain olive sheets and the three pillows onto the bed. As they did so, the lupine looked up at his boyfriend and realized he was only in his underwear. It made him cough from surprise. “Everything alright, babe?” Marcus asked, eyebrows raised.

“I-I’m fine.” He replied, tucking the fitted sheet under the corner. “Just didn't realize you got a lot of the work done already.”  
  
Once they had fixed the bed, Kovac picked Marcus up again, despite not having to at all, and kissed him passionately as he laid him down on the bed. Keeping the kiss going, he crawled on top of the smaller teen and pinned his wrists above his head. After running out of breath, he pulled away, breathing heavily. “I love you Marcus.” He whispered. “I know I’ve said it before, but I need to say it again. I love you.”   
  
“I love you too.” Marcus replied, holding onto the sides of his face. “Now let’s make this a night we’ll never forget. For the good reasons.”   
  
Both of them chuckled shortly. A lot had happened in one evening. They were nearly killed, Kovac watched his future self get killed and met Samus Aran. Regardless of that, they put it all behind them and got down to it.

Because the vulpine was still only in his underwear, Kovac began to slowly kiss down his body. From his lips, his chin, his neck, down his chest, over a nipple and straight down to his prize. After removing what little clothes his partner had left, Kovac took the lead and pleasured his boyfriend, rather than conducting an experiment.

When all was done, the two laid next to one another. Their breathing was heavy and the room smelled of sweat and hormones. Marcus laid on top of his stomach, as to prevent nothing from leaking out and staining the sheets. As they laid, Kovac groped his partner’s rear. “Keep my babies safe for me, hon?” He asked, smirking.

Marcus giggled. “I love them, thank you for giving them to me.”  
  
“And yours tasted delicious, may I add. Although, it’s my understanding that it’s supposed to be salty. Yours was sweet.”   
  
“I’ve been eating pineapple to prepare for this moment.”   
  
“Did you know that pineapple has an enzyme called Bromelain? It’s a natural chemical that quite literally causes the pineapple to eat you back. But when it reaches the stomach, your stomach acid cancels it out.”   
  
The vulpine rounded his eyes. “That’s something I did not know. Can I eat too much of it?”   
  
“You can eat too much of anything, hon. Moderation is the key. But make sure you keep eating pineapple, that was delicious.”

“Glad you liked it. I had a lot of fun.”  
  
“I did too. I’m glad I didn’t look at it as an experiment. It wouldn’t have been as fun then.”

“Same. I really got to feel you. The whole you.”  
  
Kovac snickered. “Do you still like the whole me?”   
  
Marcus reached over and placed a hand on his cheek. “I don't. I love it.”   
  
Once again they kissed and snuggled their bare bodies against one another. When Kovac covered them with the blanket, they fell asleep. 

The vulpine drifted into a deep sleep, his mind completely shut off. That was, until he quite literally was shocked awake. It made him jump out of bed, or so he thought. In reality, he was in a black space, just floating there. After a second, he heard a calm feminine voice. “Finally, you’re awake.” It stated in a constant and calm tone of voice. “Sorry I had to shock you so hard, but you were in a deep sleep.”  
  
“W-Who are you? Where even are you? And where am I?” He asked, his breathing beginning to quicken as his heart rate increased. 

“So many questions. Fair questions, but nevertheless, a lot of them. I’ll start with the first. I’m Daltisk, the Goddess of Judgement. And I’m right here.”  
  
A blue and purple light glowed behind Marcus. He turned to see it and floating there in the empty space was a blue orb with a white core and purple lightning sparkling from it. Out of the entire dark space, that was the only source of light. 

“Not my ideal form, but this is my true self. You’re lucky, I normally don’t show this side of me to anyone.” The orb stated with a possible smirk. He couldn’t really tell, her not having a body and all.  
  
“Okay… and where am I?”   
  
“The space between our minds. You see, I am connecting to you through your psychic powers, which we share. While the Yincamori have Amadream, you Cerinians have me. With my psychic powers, I judge all else. It is I who decides whenever or not your people wither away or prosper.” She giggled humorlessly. “I try not to be too strict.”

“So why are we talking now?”  
  
“We are talking now because you need to survive. For a week at least. I’m going to enhance your powers so that you may better defend yourself from Amadream. Or at least hide you from here. Think of my gift as a cloak. And when the cloak is broken, the power returns to you. This is the most I can do until my tree grows enough for me to manifest my body in the Time Realm. Now, hold still.”   
  
The lightning coming from the orb grew, nearly blinding Marcus. Then, it shot out at him, striking him in the forehead. When it did, he woke up for real. He held one hand to his chest as he breathed heavily. It woke Kovac, who lifted himself up with his elbows. “Marcus? Are you okay?”   
  
“I-I’m not sure… I had a dream… or a vision.”   
  
The lupine raised an eyebrow. “Really? What kind?”   
  
“A weird orb talked to me, saying her name was Daltisk.”   
  
“Alright. What did she say?”   
  
“She told me that I need to survive for another week. Then I would be fine and she could subdue that lady with three heads.”

“Is she my goddess now? Because we created a new timeline that I’m a part of?”

“Dunno, but I think she’s more partial to me.”  
  
Kovac lowered his head to sniff Marcus’ neck. “Mmm, so am I.”   
  
“Sounds like someone wants a round two.” The vulpine replied, reaching his hand down his partner’s body. 

“Hmm… lazy seconds? I’m a little tired, but I can go again.”  
  
“Just a little handy then.”   
  
After their second, quick and lazy round, the two fell asleep. Truly, to Marcus at least, it felt like a third person was lying in bed with him. The way Kovac held one side of his body was matched by an invisible force hugging the other. A force that protected them both from the watchful eyes of Amadream, the Goddess of Crossroads. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you can see, I tried using images. Two of them look like shit and one, the gif, strangely enough, turned out pretty decent. Let me know how you feel about images, because I just figured out that you could put in images and felt like I could just try and mess around with it a bit. Maybe I'll do it again, I'm not sure. 
> 
> Also, sorry if time stuff is... weird. Like, I'm doing my best to keep things smooth and constant, but it's hard. Quote the doctor himself, "People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect but actually from a non-linear, non subjective viewpoint, it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff."
> 
> Final thing, I think this was a decent balance of lemon and avoiding it. Awkward to write, probably not gonna do it again, sorry not sorry.


	10. Loss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey... so everything was just kind of flowing and I wore out the last and I'm released them all at once. So, enjoy!

The two were going to be stuck in the apartment for two weeks at the least. Krystal confirmed to Bill that they needed to only survive for a week before something could be done about Amadream. The apartment was secure, with a thermal camera in the room. It detects body temperatures, and as long as there were only two heat signatures, they were in the clear. It had to be a thermal as they could get sued for invasion of privacy.

To add to that security measure, the other apartments around them were filled with other agents. However, Maria and Lovelace were not among them on account of their injuries. Marcus was already missing the overwhelming energy of the rhino, but was happy to have Kovac by his side and to keep him ‘entertained.’ The two actually found a pole in the apartment and have been practicing pole dancing for exercise and entertainment. 

Then there was their handler, the crude badger woman who stayed in the apartment across the hall. Her name was Midge, a decent person at best and a pretty shitty living being at worst. However, she kept them safe, bought them a new hotplate and even a small convection oven, along with the necessary ingredients to cook all kinds of food. On their second day, she even brought them a tube of lube. 

Three days in, not much has been happening and the two have been getting bored. Sex was fun and all, but they could only do it so often and so many times. Pole dancing practice was hurting their muscles. So they took a lazy day, listening to their only source of entertainment, a radio. They were listening to the news as they laid half nakid on the bed. 

“Some news from Venom. An attack was carried out on a resistance safe house by the CSPF. Two resistance leaders were killed, as reported from the newly appointed CSPF director, Falco Lombardi.”

“Hell yeah Falco!” Marcus cheered. “Show those resistance scum who’s boss.”   
  
Kovac tilted his head. “What’s happening on Venom?” He asked. “I’m not aware of the current politics or even recent history. The most I know is small details Wolf would tell me about the Lylat wars.”   
  
“Oh right. Let me fill you in. Basically, Venom waged war against Lylat under Andross. Then we occupied the planet and have been since.”   
  
“It’s been over twenty years.” The lupine replied. “That’s a long time for an occupation. Why?”   
  
“Because those filthy Venomillians killed millions of us.” Marcus glared. “My dad fought against them because they’re an evil people. We have to occupy them to make sure they never turn back to their evil ways.”   
  
Kovac narrowed his eyes. “I’m sorry, but you realize that Wolf is from Venom, making me half Venomillian. You know that, right?”

The vulpine blushed from embarrassment. “U-Uhhh… well, you’re different. You weren’t raised by those savages.”

“But Wolf was an evil man and I’m nothing like him. Now, would you call me a good person, despite all that my father attempted to teach me?”   
  
“Of course I would! I love you.”

“So why couldn’t there be other good Venomillians?”   
  
“Because they’re taught to hate us by their parents!” He argued, crossing his arms. “They’ll never like us and we need to constantly suppress them!”   
  
“Maybe it’s because you Cornerians are occupying them and making them hate you more. They’ll never grow to like you if you constantly suppress them and take away their freedom!”   
  
Marcus propped himself up and glared down at his boyfriend. “They don’t deserve it! When they did, they followed Andross!”   
  
“And didn’t they suffer as well?! Didn’t Corneria bomb their innocents too?! You cannot seriously tell me that Corneria was on the hill or morality and didn’t bomb their cities too!”   
  
He stopped, but his glare remained. Neither of them were backing down from their standpoints, and Marcus was certainly not planning on giving up yet. “They were led by a madman!”   
  
“Ugh! I cannot even have a fair argument with you! I know little to nothing about what happened, but if I know one thing, it is what it’s like to be suppressed! My life has been nothing but suppression, and I know what it’s like! If that is what you are doing to them, tell me how you and your people are no better than my father!”   
  
“Your father was a monster!”   
  
“And so are you Cornerians!”   
  
The two were standing at the side of the bed now, glaring at one another with expressions full of anger, but not quite hate. Not yet, at least. “We don’t treat them like slaves.” Marcus growled. 

“I find that hard to believe. Planetary occupation can’t be cheap. So, why would they keep doing it without getting anything to gain?” He turned around, crossing his arms. “Unless you are getting something. You could easily exploit their resources and use the people for cheap labor, if they are paid at all. It’s common sense really.”   
  
“Ugh, you’re such a stuck-up asshole!” Marcus insulted, shoving Kovac in the back. 

The lupine was not expecting to be shoved, so when the vulpine hit him, he fell forwards. He hit the bed, but his head hit the night table at the side. Marcus gasped when he saw that the impact caused him to bleed a bit, staining the wooden table. “O-O-Oh my god, K-Kovac, are you alright?” He asked, stepping closer to the lupine.   
  
“Fuck off!” The lupine growled, slapping away Marcus’ hands. “Ugh, you arrogant, stubborn Cornerian!”   
  
The way he said “Cornerian” sent a shiver down the vulpine’s spine. It was full of scorn and true hatred. To Kovac, his Venomillian blood was the only thing he really had in common with some kind of people. His parents were psychos. He’s an outcast on Corneria because of his upbringing. Demisexual and with a man. A literal goddess wants him to be his slave. And now the only people he had something in common with were being suppressed like he was. 

It was a tense moment of silence for a moment before they heard someone knocking on the door, followed by the raspy voice of Midge. “Hey, what the fuck is going on in there?! Is everything alright?”   
  
“I’m bleeding.” Kovac replied, holding his forehead. “Can you grab some bandages?”   
  
“Y-yeah. You two are going to tell me exactly what happened when I get back.”   
  
The woman turned around and went back to her room to grab the medkit. As she did so, Marcus whispered. “Kovac, I-I’m so sorry I-”   
  
The lupine cut him off. “Save it,” He growled. “I don’t want to hear your damn excuses.”   
  
After a soft, hardly noticeable sob, Marcus turned around and hugged himself. He didn’t watch as Midge wrapped the bandages around Kovac’s head, as he had to contain his outburst of emotions so he didn’t reveal their location. And the lupine was silent, not responding as his boyfriend slowly began to cry. “Oh what the fuck?” She groaned, seeing the vulpine crying. “You need to tell me what happened kid.”   
  
“Marcus and I got into an argument about the situation on Venom. One thing led to another and he shoved me. I wasn’t expecting it and I hit my head on the nightstand.”   
  
“Are you fucking serious?” She demanded, turning to Marcus. “What the fuck is wrong with you? This is your goddamn boyfriend, you don’t just shove him!”   
  
“I-I know… I’m so sorry Kovac.” He cried. 

“But none of this changed a thing.” The lupine coldly stated. “He still believes it’s okay to suppress people, even though that’s exactly what I went through.”   
  
“Oooohhhh…” She awed, realizing the situation. “So you’re like anti-occupation and he’s pro-occupation. Okay, okay… But why does it matter?”   
  
“I have no one aside from Marcus and maybe Fox. Only one half of my DNA belongs to a people that still exists, and those are the Venomillains on Venom. They’re the only group I can possibly belong to… and hearing they’re suppressed like I was is… crushing. It doesn’t help when the person you love the most calls them filthy savages and deserve to be oppressed. Do I then?”   
  
“That’s not what I meant!” The vulpine lashed out. 

“Sure as hell sounds like it.” Midge stated, giving him a crooked stare. “Dude, how are you so racist?”   
  
“I like all kinds of people! One of my best friends is half Fichinian! Just not Venomillians…”   
  
“Yet you’re boyfriend is half Venomillian,” She replied, pointing out the contradiction. “Where did you get this from? Is this what your fucking dad taught you?”   
  
“Well… yeah. He was forced to fight them after they and Andross killed his father. I don’t blame him for hating them like I do. It only makes sense.”   
  
“So this was engraved in you then.”   
  
“No!” He argued.

She sighed. “Really?”   
  
He stopped to think. All his life, Fox would tell him about the horrors of war and the atrocities that the Venomillian people committed. However, the veteran didn’t speak of the things that Corneria did to them either. Surely, in any war, innocents were killed on both sides. “They were horrible.” Marcus stated.   
  
“So were the Cornerians. Listen, my brother-in-law is from Venom. Nicest guy I know and no one makes my sister happier. They’re not bad people, kid. They’re pretty damn nice.”   
  
“Hardly any of them are though.”   
  
“True, true, but you can’t hate them all. Think of the good ones. Even if you still think they need to be occupied, don’t hate them, at least.”   
  
He nodded once more, but said nothing else. Instead, he sat down on the toilet and closed the drape just to get away from the tension in the main room. And seeing that she could do nothing else, Midge left and Kovac laid back down on the bed. He didn’t do anything and instead changed the radio station to a classical music channel. During his time in protective custody, he explored music and found that his favorite came from a well-arranged orchestra.    
  
It was like that for the next few hours until they got hungry again. Neither of them wanted to move, but after his stomach growled, Marcus got up from the bathroom to get cooking. He decided to make a simple one pan creamy tomato pasta. It was going smoothly until he got to chopping. Kovac was usually the one who chopped when they cooked, so his knife skills were lacking greatly.    
  


After sloppily cutting a yellow pepper, he cussed to himself. That’s when two gray-furred heads reached around him and grabbed his wrists. In his left ear, he heard a whisper. “Start cutting from the tip, then work your way down.”   
  
The gray furred hands guided his movements, smoothly cutting a slice of the pepper off. They continued and as they did so, Marcus slowly felt the larger body grow closer to him, leaning on him. Eventually their hips connected when the entire pepper was cut up. And by that time, Marcus was crying. “I-I-I’m so sorry…” He apologized through his sobs. “I didn’t mean to…”   
  
“Shhhh…” Kovac whispered. “Don’t worry about it. Let’s just cook. It smells good.”   
  
“I-I love you.”   
  
The lupine kissed the top of his head. “I love you too.”   
  
Together, the two continued to cook the dish with shell pasta until it had to sit there and boil for a while. While the dish did that, they laid back down on the bed together, Kovac wrapping his arms around Marcus. They continued to listen to the soft classical music until the pasta was finished cooking ten minutes later. Together, they sat down at the small round wooden table with two chairs. The entire pan was placed on a metal trivet in the shape of a leaf so that they could eat directly from the dish. After the first bite, Kovac smiled. “It’s good. You’re getting a lot better at cooking.”   
  
“Thanks… but I couldn’t do it without my sous chef.” He replied, smiling back. “But… I’m still so sorry Kovac. I didn’t mean what I said.”   
  
After taking his bite, he spoke one word. “Bullshit.”   


The vulpine’s ears perked up. “W-what?”   
  
“Bullshit. You meant what you said. I’m sure you still do. You still think that my people deserve to be suppressed and your hate expands to all of them.”   
  
He dipped his head down. “I’ll try to do better.” Marcus replied, making Kovac tilt his head. “I’ll try to be more open minded of your people. I promise.”   
  
That made the lupine smile. “That’s all I can ask for. Thank you, my love.”   
  
Marcus nodded and returned to eating. He still had his reservations about the Venomillian people and their hopeless resistance, but he was certainly going to make the effort to be more open minded. Kovac, however, was planning something much bigger. Something he didn’t plan on sharing with his partner. 

Meanwhile, Abraham sat in his living room with Boone across from him. The canine had moved in with him since being kicked out by his parents. He didn’t have enough money to properly look after him and provide the necessary expenses for his friend, so the two sat to discuss what they could do. “I can work a job.” Boone offered. “If… y’know, anyone will hire me.”   
  
“I doubt you can, darling.” He replied, rubbing his eyes. “Or… I can make a call.”   
  
The canine tilted his head. “To who?”

“My parents.” 

Boone widened his eyes. Anytime Abraham talked to them about his parents, it was full of scorn. They knew little about them, other than the fact they were arms manufacturers and often donated to conservative charities that often suppressed LGBTQ people on Fichina. Things were so bad there people were often imprisoned or sent to conversion therapy. Sometimes they were even killed. “What makes you think they’ll help?” Boone asked. “Like they’re the most anti-LGBT people I have ever heard of.”   
  
“Yes, but I have information on them that I keep for a rainy day.” He put his phone to his ear. “Today is a rainy day.”   
  
To make the call, he stepped outside of his warehouse and waited for his mother to pick up. After a few rings, he heard the deep voice of his mother. “Chto ty khochesh', Abram?” She demanded.

“Zdravstvuy, mama.” He replied in his native language. “I need more money for a friend.”   
  
“Idi v’banyu!” She scolded.

With a sigh, he reminded her of some information he had. Particularly that they were using banned Andross tech to help add an extra punch to their weapons. Upon being reminded, his mother cleared his throat. “I-I’ll transfer the credits to your account.” She stated in standard. “Will 200,000 do?”   
  
“Da. Spasibo.” He replied with a smirk. 

“Otrod'ye.”   
  
With a soft chuckle, he hung up first and returned to Boone to give him the good news. Just as he was opening the door, he heard a click behind him, followed by a stern voice. “Hands up big guy. Even your size won’t protect you from a blaster shot to the head.”   
  
The small ears of the buck perked up as he turned around. Standing a good distance away was a muscular man in a tight latex suit, also wearing a man to cover his face aside from his piercing yellow eyes. He had a blaster fixed right on Abrahams head. Like any member of his species, he had a freeze response to the situation, standing completely still, not even blinking. “Alright kid, we’re gonna do this nice and easy.” He held out a pair of cuffs. “You’re gonna put these on and come with me.”

Abraham didn’t respond, still remaining still. It annoyed the man quickly, causing him to blast the ground next to the buck. Still no reaction. “Damn deers.” He swore. “Freezing reactions.”   
  
The gunshot was heard from within the warehouse. Boone knew what a gunshot sounded like from his times on the range, so they immediately recognized it. Worried for his friend, he grabbed Abraham’s lever-action rifle and headed out. They ran through the double doors, where he saw the man with the blaster aimed at Abraham. Boone wasted no time in raising the rifle to hit the man, but he was quicker. Quickly, he fired at the canine, hitting him straight through the neck. That finally got Abraham to move. “Boone!” He yelled out.    
  
The canine hit the ground, clutching his neck and he kicked his legs. He coughed and coughed, distracting the lupine long enough for Abraham to attack. The man got a vision, seeing the buck charging him. His horns ripped through his body, killing him instantly. When he was back in the present, he was able to jump up, grab onto Abraham’s antlers and flip himself over the buck. When he was behind him, he fired a half dozen blaster shots into his back.

Abraham fell to the ground, but wasn’t quite dead yet. His strong muscle fibers kept him together long enough for the man to walk up to him. The man tapped his side, testing if he was dead. As soon as Abraham felt his foot, he grabbed onto it and pulled the man to the ground using all the strength he had left. He got on top of him and managed to wrestle the gun away, allowing him to deliver a punch so strong he caved in his skull. With the second punch, he completely destroyed the man’s head. 

With all said and done, he slowly picked himself up and headed over to Boone, who had ceased all movements. The dark brown eyes of the canine were wide open, but no life was within them either. “B-Boone…” He whispered, tearing up. “No… why did it have to be you?”   
  
Quickly, he pulled out his phone again and contacted the authorities, telling them that they needed an ambulance and the police. It would be a long time till they got there because of their location, with them being out in the middle of nowhere. So by the time they arrived, Abraham had collapsed next to Boone’s body from intense blood loss. 

Back at the apartment, the couple were laying back down on the bed listening to a radio drama. It was actually getting really interesting. Someone cheated on someone and shit was going down finally. Just as they were listening, they got a knock on the door. Kovac called out. “What’s the password?” 

“Let me in assholes.” Midge replied, trying to push open the door.

With a groan from both of them, they got off of the bed and lifted it up enough so that the badger could enter. When she did, she told the two to sit down on the bed. She seemed serious and her expression was the first soft one they had seen coming from the woman. “Listen boys… I’ve got some news. None of it good.”   
  
“What is it?” Kovac asked.

“Your friends Abraham and Boone were attacked by a masked man.” She answered. “It seems that they were able to kill their attacker but… they didn’t make it.”   
  
Marcus’ eyes widened. “W-What?”   
  
“Your friend Boone was shot in the neck and Abraham took six bullets to the back. He would’ve survived but it took too long for the ambulance to get there in time.”   
  
Kovac was frozen with wide eyes as his boyfriend began to break down in tears. Why hadn’t he seen it like he saw the large explosion? Was it because it was such a large event where many died? And if he saw every murder or death, he’d constantly be having visions.   


Suddenly, he began to tear up as the room turned a dark shade of blue. He looked over to Marcus, who was bawling uncontrollably. His emotions were projecting rapidly, spreading throughout not only the apartment, but the whole building. The range of his influence only continued to grow, spreading throughout the entire town, causing multiple car crashes. No one died, thankfully.    
  
However, his powers acted as a beacon for Amadream, who wasted no time in sending six Kovacs to their location. At the time of her initial plans, she was hoping to bait out Kovac and subjugate him once he travelled back to save them, but she’d happily take Marcus’ location and kill him. 

Six Kovacs formed in the room and pulled blasters on Marcus. Before they even had the chance to pull the trigger, tears were brought to their eyes and they fell to the ground as well, dropping their blasters in the process. Despite having his eyes closed, the vulpine felt them in the room. “You… you killed my best friends…” He cried. “I hate you all!”   


“Uh oh,” A voice stated in his mind. “The powers returning to you Marcus, get ready for a discharge.”   
  
Just as he said that, he let out a chilling yell, followed by a huge amount of purple lightning exploding from his body. It struck the six Kovacs, reducing them into a pile of ashes. Thankfully Midge and the teen Kovac were spared from his outburst.

When the huge amount of energy was released, the emotion bubble popped, turning the color of everything back to normal and allowing people to get back to their normal selves, minus a few car crashes.

However, Marcus was still bawling at the loss of his two closest friends. He knew no one kinder than Abraham, and there was no one more loyal than Boone. And in the end, the canine was turned away by his own family and died with their closest friend. 

He wasn’t the only one having a meltdown. Amadream allowed her own excitement and emotions to get ahead of her and things were destabilizing quickly. Not only did the timelines diverge more, a third sapling quickly grew out of the ground while the second one grew rapidly. It was big enough to allow Daltisk to enter the realm. 

The goddess of judgement cheered joyfully as two souls rose through the ground. Amadream attempted to consume them for the battle that she knew was about to come, only for the two souls to be ripped away, heading for a forming ball of electricity. 

Instead of consuming the souls like the Goddess expected, they floated by the sides of the forming Daltisk. The ball of energy was turning into a woman and after a few seconds, the white outline of the person was completed. With a huge surge of lightning, a woman was fully formed.

She was another dark skinned human who wore no clothes. Some quickly began to form around her body, them being a beautiful blue dress with a large headpiece decorated with gold. In her right hand, a golden staff formed. On top of the staff was a Scale of Justice that seemed to be off balance. However, despite all the splendorous things she wore, her most defining feature was the large, blue third eye on her forehead. “Daltisk,” The heads hissed.

“Finally, a real body!” The goddess exclaimed. “Oh look at me, aren’t I beautiful?”    
  
“I will kill you!”   
  
The woman floated up and formed a ball of light in her hands. It didn’t even seem to phase the judgement goddess, who calmly tapped the two souls with her staff. Then she held out her hand, releasing a third soul she had been keeping with her in the Dark Realm. The three souls began to form into the familiar shapes of Boone, Abraham and a vulpine. When they formed, they were wearing their original clothes, including the dark shades of the vulpine. He stretched first, seemingly unbothered by the situation. “Hey there,” He greeted with a wink. “Thanks for getting me here Daltisk. I can finally get some payback.”   
  
“My pleasure.” She giggled. “How about you fill those two in on what’s going on and fight her servants while I handle her?”   
  
“Got it.” He replied, turning to Abraham and Boone. “Listen up you two! We don’t have a lot of time, so here’s the gist. You both died. Sucks, I know, but I did too. You were going to be eaten but Daltisk saved you. Now you gotta repay her by helping me fight!”   
  
The two looked up at the huge swarm of passed Yincamori led by Kovac’s mother heading towards them. All of them were in their demon forms, quickly demoralizing the two teens. “How do we fight that?” Abraham asked.

“With this.” Daltisk answered, pointing a finger gun at them. 

She ‘shot’ her finger gun at the three and all of them received familiar weapons. Boone got a six shot blaster, James got his old one that he passed down to his son and Abraham received his age-old plasma repeater. “Good luck you three,” The goddess stated. “I believe in you.”   
  
The three spirits nodded at one another before readying their weapons. Immediately they began to fire, engaging the swarm of demons. While they did that, Daltisk began her battle with Amadream. She started off by slamming her staff into the air, actually causing it to crack. A second later, a huge rift in reality opened, summoning purple lightning from the Dark Realm. It shocked the other goddess, causing her to discharge her attack early. 

Back in the real world, Kovac and Marcus sat next to one another on the bed. They had just gotten through a long discussion about facing down Amadream. They agreed to go into her realm, knowing that she wouldn’t stop sending people to kill Marcus. So, they shut their eyes and held their hands, attempting to cross into the Time Realm. 

When they both woke, they were actually in another different place. A dark place. In front of them was another human, but with white skin and actually a man. However, he did have longer white hair and light green eyes. Around him was a ring with six orbs of various colors along it. He was tapping them, creating sound that formed into a soft medley. “Hello Mortals,” He greeted. “I am Allanon, God of Life Cycles.”   
  
“W-Why are we here?” Marcus asked, his eyes darting around the dark realm. 

“Just here for a little chat. I just wanted to let you know that you two will be entering this little battle with me. I’m on Daltisk’s side, by the way.” He winked with a soft smile. “Amadream has interrupted the natural order of things. And as the God of Life Cycles and Cycles in general, I’m pretty against that.”   
  
“What is the natural order of things then?”   
  
“The time realm is ever-expanding. Or it’s supposed to be, but when time was created, Amadream, who is the weakest of us gods, sacrificed her fourth head to use these powers of time. But the Time Realm is timeless.” He chuckled. “Odd, isn’t it? Her secondary powers are useless here! Her only powers now are her light manipulation.”

“Alright…” Kovac stated, glancing over at Marcus. “So what happened that created you?”   
  
“Ah. Well, you see, since Abraham and Boone were killed, two new lives were created. And since seven total Kovacs have died that also weren’t supposed to, seven more lives, in different time periods, were also created. Hence me.”   


“Oh, okay.” The lupine replied, totally accepting everything. 

“This is crazy.” Marcus said, shaking his head. “But okay. Let’s do this!”   
  
“Glad to hear it. Here. We. Go!”   


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know no Russian. What you saw, which is probably incredibly inaccurate but I tried, is Google Translate. I used some other sources, but I tried to keep it simple to be as accurate as possible. Sorry that I probably butchered the language.


	11. Showdown

After a small flash of light, the two formed in the Time Realm. There, they could see a massive battle going on. Daltisk and Amadream were exchanging blows, with the goddess of three heads growing ever more infuriated while the goddess of judgement simply smirked and allowed the lightning from her dimensional rift to do all the work. 

Upon the arrival of Allanon, the two stopped. Both of them had wide eyes, but only Daltisk smiled. “Allanon!” She cheered. “Oh how lovely it is to see you. How are you my friend?”   
  
“I’ll be a lot better when things are back in order.” He replied, smiling back. “Now, I believe it is time to deal with this rogue goddess.”   
  
The six orbs around the god turned into six different kinds of weapons. A spear, a sword, a halberd, a glaive, a scimitar and even an odachi. All of them went directly towards the goddess, whose left head put up a barrier to block them by exhaling a cloud of white smoke.    
  
“What are we going to do?” Marcus asked. “We have no combat powers.”   
  
“Of course you do.” The god replied. “Kovac, look at your people. All of them have demon forms. What do you think that means?”   
  
He blinked once. “I-I have one too.”   
  
“Exactly! And Marcus, your psychic powers here are amplified. You share Daltisk’s electricity.”   
  
“How do I activate my demon form?” Kovac asked, looking at his hands.

“Well… like this.”   
  
Suddenly, Allanon’s odachi flew forwards and stabbed Kovac through his chest. He coughed out a huge amount of blood, landing on Marcus’ face as the vulpine trembled. Electricity began to spark all across his body as he turned to the god. “What did you do?!”   
  
The god widened his eyes. “J-J-Just give it a moment! Watch.”   
  
The vulpine turned back to his boyfriend, who was slowly changing. His limbs elongated into sharp claws made of dark matter. It spreaded across his chest, down the sides of his abs and over his crotch, covering all of his bits. Then it finished at his feet, enlarging them and giving him large claws. The god seemed very pleased by his transformation. “Oh my, an alpha Yincamori! Just like his mother.”

Marcus stared at his boyfriend with wide eyes. His head was taken over by a large amount of black mass, reflecting none of the original person underneath. Two large red orbs replaced his once yellow eyes and sharp teeth hung out of his mouth. While some of his original body remained, it was enhanced with larger muscles to fit his new form. If it wasn’t for all the dark, evil-looking bits, Marcus would’ve loved it. 

“B-Babe?” He asked softly, reaching a hand forwards. 

Before he could place his hand on Kovac, the god reached forwards and picked Marcus up. “No, no, no.” He quickly said. “Don’t interact with him. It’s his first transformation, so he’s going to be a bit… feral.”   
  
“What did you do to him?” Marcus whispered, eyes full of tears.   


“Made him what we need to win.”   
  
Using a spear, the god swept it under the feral Kovac and lifted him up towards the swarm of his kin. Without sparing a second, Kovac launched himself at them, ripping six apart with his first swipe. He continued his rampage, ripping the members of his kin apart. Then, he was attacked by his mother. Her swipe nearly cut him in half if he didn’t block it with his own claws. A second later, the two began to fight like primitive animals, horrifying Marcus. 

Knowing that the boy wouldn’t listen to him, Allanon flew him over to his grandfather, who just killed another Yincamori. He placed him down next to him. “Keep an eye on him,” The god stated. “He’s a bit shook up from what I did to his partner.”   
  
“Oh boy…” The vulpine sighed and put down his weapon as the god protected them. “Hey buddy, it’s your grandpa James.”   
  
Marcus’ eyes widened, but he was still crying. “W-What?”   
  
“Yep, it’s me. I’ve been with Daltisk this whole time. She’s kept me safe. And let me tell you, her and Allanon wouldn’t do anything to harm you and Kovac. You two are the focal point of their existence. They need you both to be alive.”   
  
“But look at him.” He replied, looking at Kovac who was still fighting his mother. “It’s horrifying.”   
  
“I know, I know. But… look on the bright side, your two friends are here.”   
  
The elderly vulpine looked over at the two other sources of gunfire. There he saw Boone and Abraham back to back with their weapons pointed to the sky. They were fighting off a ground of Yincamori who were swarming above them like a halo of darkness. One of them swept down at the buck, only to be impaled by his antlers and then shot apart by a single bullet from the lever-action rifle. “Abraham… Boone… they’re here.” He stated, smiling.

“There you go buddy. Go over to them and make sure they make it through this. The faster this is over, the quicker you can get your man back.”   
  
He nodded once before wiping away his tears as his body began to spark. With a confident stride, he walked towards his friends. A group of Yincamori came down at him, only to be disintegrated by a single fling of his arm, releasing a huge amount of a white lightning. He felt confident, powerful and most of all, fabulous. In the Time Realm, he could be whatever he wanted. So, from seemingly nowhere, his white dress for his date night formed over his body, matching the color of the lightning sparking all over him.

When he got to his two deceased friends, he let the lightning surge into the halo of Yincamori. Not even a second later, nothing remained but ashes. 

The two deceased friends looked around, looking for the source of their destruction. Abraham thought it was Daltisk, but when Boone saw Marcus, he knew immediately. “Marcus!” They exclaimed. 

“You guys…” He whispered with the brightest of smiles. “You’re here! I-I’m so sorry that you died-”   
  
“Don’t sweat it man.” Boone stated, throwing an arm out. “Besides, look at me! No more tits! Wait…”   
  
The canine pulled the front of their pants forward, followed by a gasp. He looked up at Abraham and then back at Marcus. “Yooooo, I have a dick!”

Neither of the other two could contain their laughter. It was great to see Boone so happy, but it was also funny at the same time. “You guys gotta teach me how to use this thing. Like… I know aiming is a thing, but how do you do it?”   
  
Abraham placed a hand on his shoulder. “For another time. Right now,” He pulled the lever on his rifle. “We have to deal with all this. Marcus, where’s Kovac?”   
  
The vulpine pointed to where Kovac was still fighting his mother. Now he was on top of her and swiping at her with an intent to kill. Then, he was impaled straight through his gut, causing real panic in the three. His wound seemed to heal almost instantly, but he also looked a lot weaker. So, with the two covering him, Marcus ran over to join his fight. The feral Kovac locked arms with his mother, only to be broken when the vulpine shocked her with lightning. She had to actually retreat, leaving Marcus with his feral boyfriend.

The lupine was severely weakened, but still snarled when Marcus approached him. It didn’t seem to stop the determined boyfriend, who kept walking forwards. Slowly, he began to speak, quoting one of his favorite movies. “Hey big guy… The sun’s getting real low.”

It seemed to do something to Kovac, who tilted his head like a curious beast. Marcus kept on walking towards him with his arm outstretched. When he was close enough, Kovac sniffed it. For a second, the yellow color returned to his eyes before going back to red. A second later, he pounced on Marcus, pinning his shoulders. Panic filled the vulpine for a second, worried that his boyfriend was going to eat him. Instead, the lupine gave him a long lick across his cheek and began to pant. Marcus couldn’t contain his laughter. “A-Alright Kovac! I’m happy to see you two,” He began to rub his hands on the dark matter. “I know, I know, you haven’t seen me in  _ so  _ long.” The lupine licked him again. “Yes, I love you too! P-Please get off of me though!”   
  
With much reluctance from the beast, he freed the lupine under him. When he stood, the black matter began to retract from his body, leaving a nakid Kovac. He had a soft smile on his face. “Sorry about that hon.” He apologized.

“It was cute.” The vulpine replied, smacking his partner’s rear. “Looking good, by the way.”   
  
Kovac blushed from embarrassment. “I really wish I wasn’t nakid right now. Right in front of your grandfather no less.” He looked the vulpine up and down. “Wait, how did you get that dress back?”   
  
“Dunno… I just wanted it. I bet I could do the same for you!”

He closed his eyes and imagined Kovac wearing something. However, he ended up only thinking of something scandalous. When he opened his eyes again, the lupine was wearing a latex bodysuit that left his abs exposed with latex stockings and arm sleeves to match. Not to mention a ball gag, which Kovac removed quickly. “Really?” He asked, holding the ball gag. “You dirty little fox.”

“Sorry hon,” He apologized. “Could’ve been worse though.”

“Debatable. Although I have to admit, this is comfortable.” He stretched. “Flexible too. Question is, what do we do now?”   
  
Marcus glared at the cheetah woman who was laying on the ground, weak. “We deal with your mother.”   
  
“Oh…” He frowned. “Right, her.”   
  
The vulpine looked over to his boyfriend, who crossed his arms and looked away from his mom. He knew what had to be done, but also knew that he wouldn’t be the one who’d be able to do it. So, he looked away as Marcus walked up to the woman. He picked her up by the neck and charged his body. “You…” He stated. “Before I kill you, we need to talk.”   
  
“Fine.” She hissed. “Not like I have a choice.”   
  
“Good. First off, damn you. You have caused the man I love the most misery in his life. More than his own father! You willingly sacrificed multiple of your own children just to enslave another one! That is worse than anything Wolf did.”   
  
“Is that all?” She asked, unbothered by his words.

With that, he discharged, completely disintegrating her body, leaving some ashes in his hand. When that happened, Daltisk struck a dangerous blow to Amadream, who fell to the ground. The two heads were unconscious, leaving only the middle. He glared down at her, but was surprised to find that she was crying. “No…” She whispered. “My sister… I am so sorry… I lost myself…”   
  
Kovac walked over to the two and stared down at the goddess. She covered her face as black tears streamed down it. “I’m weak… so weak!”   
  
The two other gods floated down close to her so they could hear her words. “You all made me feel like I was nothing. NOTHING!” She bawled. “You made me do this! You are all why my sister is dead!”   
  
The lupine couldn’t help but feel for her. At one point, she too was subjugated by her kin, seen as nothing more than a being with some purpose. She was seen by the other gods just like he was seen by his father. So, to the shock of everyone, he slowly crouched down beside her and pulled her into a hug. She too, was shocked by the sudden motion, but couldn’t help herself from hugging back and crying. “I know what it is like,” He whispered, holding onto her tighter. “To lose yourself in hopelessness. It’s why you controlled the timeline, isn’t it? So that they’d never have the chance to return and suppress her.”   
  
She didn’t answer. And she knew she didn’t have to. Kovac knew he was right. So, she continued to hug the lupine until she could no more. Her tears even inspired empathy from the other ancients. If they had perhaps treated her better, maybe she would’ve let the time realm be what it was supposed to be, a beautiful paradise full of trees, where souls go to rest when their flames have burnt out, instead of being eaten by a power-hungry goddess. “I have done so much wrong…” She whispered. “I know I have. But I can release them. I can release the souls.”   
  
Amadream pulled away from Kovac and opened her mouth to the skies. A second later, millions of souls were released, and with them, much of her power. As they floated out, many of them transformed into their physical selves within the realm and were spread all over, as to prevent too much crowding. It brought a tear to Allanon’s eyes. “And with that… the cycle has been restored. Thank you Amadream. I promise, I will make the effort to treat you better. And you Daltisk?”   
  
All of them widened their eyes when they saw the Goddess of Judgement crying. Their shock only grew when they saw that her scale was tilting. “I-I-I have misjudged.” She whispered in horror. “I have misjudged your emotions and your thoughts. You were never driven by a lust for power, but for a desire to never be oppressed again. I should have seen it when I met Kovac… for you two are of the same being. Kovac,” She turned to him. “You are not the great unifier, the one to unite Corneria. No, you are Ilia’s reincarnation.”   
  
“Who is Ilia?” He asked.

“Our littlest sister.” The left head answered, now awake. “I knew I had a familiar feeling coming from you… Ilia, it’s you…”   
  
“We are so sorry.” The right apologized. “We had no right to sacrifice you. But it explains why you are able to time travel when even your own members would take decades of training. You have Ilia within you…”   
  
“Can you… hear us, Ilia?” Amadream asked. 

Kovac shook his head. “I don’t think she can… I’m sorry. Perhaps when I expire, she will be released from me. I hope you won’t attempt to rush that?”   
  
All three heads smiled and chuckled. “No, I won’t.” The middle replied. “And that, is the promise of a goddess.”   
  
“What will you do now?”   
  
“We will stop influencing your mortal realm.” The right answered. “The Time Realm will become the forest it’s supposed to be and the spirits of those parted can rest easy here. And that is the promise of me, the Goddess of Witchcraft, N’an Mu.”   
  
“Me as well. As the Goddess of Plants, Honoka, I promise we shall let the realm be what it is.”   
  
“And I, the Goddess of Light known as Amadream, promise too.”   
  
“I thought you were the goddess of Crossroads?” Kovac asked.

She chuckled. “That too, but that is what all three of us are.”

“What was Ilia?”   
  
Amadream smiled softly. “Ilia was the Goddess of Entrance-ways. It sounds silly, but it’s an important factor in your daily lives.”   
  
“Interesting…” He commented. “So am I also a God of Crossroads, which is why I can time travel so efficiently?”   
  
“Exactly.” All three answered at once. 

“Oh Kovac, I cannot begin to tell you how sorry I am.” Amadream apologized. “I will work to free your other selves from my will. That, I promise.”   
  
“Thank you. And…” He turned to Marcus. “Watch over us. Please.”   
  
“We will.” All five of the gods said.   


The couple turned back to James, Abraham and Boone, who were sitting down on the ground, backs against one another. All of them were exhausted from the fight, but had enough energy to wish their friends goodbye. “Visit often?” Abraham asked, smiling softly.

“Of course Abe.” Marcus replied, matching his smile. “I’m so sorry you’re… well… dead.”   
  
“Strangely, I don’t mind. I’m here with Boone and I can see you still. Plus, imagine all the art I can paint here. I’m going to create a grand mural of the battle that took place here!” He exclaimed, holding his arms out. “It will be my magnum opus!”   
  
Boone coughed. “N-Nerd!” 

All of them, except for Abraham, laughed at the canine’s joke. When they stopped, he spoke. “Not like I had a lot to live for anymore.” He stated. “My brother rejected me, my parents kicked me out and now the one guy who was there for me died right by my side.” He smiled up at Abraham. “It would suck if you weren’t here, my man.”   
  
“I’m always going to be there for you all.” He replied. “Even in death, I think I’ll still be able to watch over Piper, Earl and Jessie. You two as well.”   
  
“Thanks Abraham.”   
  
With a final hug goodbye to everyone, they were about to leave, until they were stopped by James. He took off his sunglasses, revealing his pure white eyes, and handed them to Marcus. “Make sure my son gets these.” He stated. “And tell him I’ll be waiting here for him.”   
  
“I will grandpa. Thank you for helping us and… it was so nice to meet you.”   
  
“Nice to meet you too kid. And Kovac,” He turned to the lupine. “I knew I was right when I told you about things not being in a cycle.”   
  
“But we have a God of Life Cycles here.” Kovac argued.

“Yeah but the cycles are meant to be random! Everything still starts with life, and ends with death. That’s what matters, okay?”   
  
He furrowed his eyebrows. “I… what?”   
  
“Bah! Don’t think about it too hard. Just get back to the real world and give me great grand babies!”   
  
The couple giggled and held hands. They closed their eyes for a second and everything went to light. When they opened their eyes, they were standing in the living room of Marcus’ house. His actual house. Sitting in there was Bill, Samus, Fox and Krystal. All of them dropped their jaws and something shattered. Judging by the fact they all had a glass cup of beer minus Krystal, it was her who dropped it. Marcus spoke first. “Hey ma… hey dad. Hi Auntie Sam. Hey Uncle Bill.”

Before the two knew it, the four lunged at them, hugging them both as they cried. Well, Samus didn’t cry. Some would wonder if she even had the ability to. She does not. But even she could feel the overwhelming joy of seeing her godson again. Bill was just happy he didn’t get shot in the foot for nothing. And the parents were overjoyed to have their baby boy home. Then there was Kovac, who was just kind of caught up in the middle of things. Once they separated, they explained everything that happened and Amadream was no longer after them and James was living happily in the Time Realm. And finally, Fox was able to get his father’s sunglasses. 

“This… is amazing.” He stated, a tear falling from behind the shades. “But, I have to ask,” He turned to Kovac. “What the hell are you wearing?”   
  
“Ask him.” The lupine replied, pointing at his boyfriend. “He put me in them without my permission.”   
  
“And why are you wearing a dress?” Krystal asked.

“I like it mom!” He exclaimed, throwing his arm out. “I think I look sexy, hot and pretty and I like it!”

The room broke out laughing. It was a good way to end such a long day. And for the rest of it, the two contacted the others and told them about what happened and how Abraham and Boone died. Upon hearing that his brother died, Jessie hung up and told his parents. While his parents were dismissive about it, he was much less so. He wanted to call Abraham and asked for advice, but he was gone. Piper and Earl told him to never talk to him again, and he just hung up on Marcus. That left Kovac. 

He wasn’t even sure if the lupine would talk to him. But then, Kovac appeared in his room, standing at the side of his bed. He had his arms crossed with a petit frown. “K-Kovac!” He exclaimed, nearly falling off of his bunk bed from shock. “How did you get here?!”   
  
“I had a theory. It does take time for me to time travel, but the speed is much quicker than actual time. So, when I decide to travel, it takes me a few seconds. I decided to try to travel into the future for a few seconds and come here. Now that I’m here, I’m in the present, rather than a few seconds in the future.”   
  
Jessie blanked out a bit, and instead focused on his bigger issue. “W-What do I do? My sister is dead and it’s my fault!”   
  
“First off,  _ he’s  _ your  _ brother _ . Remember that. Secondly, it’s not your fault. It was far out of your control. Amadream’s own ambitions got ahead of her and she ruined her own plans out of fear.”   
  
He raised an eyebrow. “What the fuck are you talking about?”   
  
“Right… you don’t know a lot about what happened. It’s a long story, but let me promise you this,” He grabbed the labrador’s hand. “Your brother isn’t angry with you. He loves you, no matter what. And he’s at peace too. I know it, because I saw him?”   
  
Jessie began to cry, covering his face. Kovac, of course, comforted him, climbing up on his bunk bed and pulling him into his latex covered chest. Upon feeling the texture, Jessie’s eyes snapped open. “What the fuck?” He asked.

“Oh, sorry about this. Blame Marcus.”   
  
“W-whatever.”   
  
While he did stop crying, he didn’t let go of Kovac. There would be a lot for them all to do. They had to plan a funeral for the two, fund it and bury them. Even if they were alive in another place, their bodies needed to be shown the respect they deserved.

However, one issue remained for Kovac. His father. After all that had happened, he didn’t know what to do with his father. He managed to help a goddess with three heads, so why couldn’t he help his father? Was it because the man did so much harm to him in person, or was it because he killed so many more? Wolf did was he was supposed to do according to Amadream, but still, it all seemed unforgivable.

The secret that Amadream was once influencing everyone’s lives would have to be a closely guarded secret. Now everyone was truly free to do what they wished to, even if it didn’t feel like they were being controlled mere minutes ago. So much happened and only a handful of people knew about it. And that was going to be how it would be forever. 


	12. Papa

A lone wolfen flew through space towards a large, run-down space station. Despite its appearance, it was one of the most advanced facilities in Lylat, but was filled with criminals and all sorts of undesirables. It was once home to the pilot of the lone wolfen.

He landed in the docking bay, cleared by the control tower. The guards knew who he was immediately and stripped the gray wolf of his weapons, which was only a large derringer blaster. He was then brought up to the boss’ quarters, a large penthouse on the top of the station made completely of glass. Said glass could be shaded with the press of a button if the occupant didn’t wish to see the beautiful stars and planets.

When the lupine entered, the two guards called out to their boss that his boy had returned. There was the sound of sheets moving from the loft area. Slowly, an elderly lupine wearing a black muscle t-shirt and jeans. While he normally had an eyepatch, he had it off. Upon seeing the younger lupine, he smirked. “Kovac… honestly didn’t expect to see you again.” He stated.

“Dad.” He replied. 

“Hah! You never called me that. It’s always been Wolf… or sir!” He walked down the stairs, his smile growing. “Look at you. You got more muscle.”   
  
“I did.” 

“Who’s been training ya?”   
  
“Miyu, Fay and Fox McCloud. My father-in-law.”   
  
His eye widened. “Officially?”

“Well…” Kovac bobbed his head side to side. “His son and I have been through a lot together. It’s the only thing I see happening.”   
  
“Huh. Well, never really cared about what you do and don’t like. As long as you’re on top.”   
  
“You don’t have to worry about that then.”   
  
Both of them laughed a little. It felt a little odd to both of them, laughing with one another like father and son should. They never really had that. After they laughed, Wolf got serious. “Okay, but why are you here?”   
  
“Your operations kill a lot of people, dad. I’m here to either take you in or…”   
  
“Kill me.” He finished.

“Exactly. While I wish I could offer you forgiveness and another chance… I can’t. You’d be locked up for life, but you know I can’t let this go on.”

He nodded. “Yeah, I get it. It’s fair too. Question is: Think you can do it?”   
  
“I can. I know it. You remember mom, right?”   
  
“Can’t forget her.” He laughed. “What about her?”   
  
“I killed her. For real.”   
  
The lupine narrowed an eye. “The fuck? Sounds like I’m missing a whole story.”   
  
“You are. But you’ll go somewhere that’ll explain everything when we’re done.”   
  
Wolf smiled again. “I look forward to it. You ready?”   
  
Kovac centered his gravity and raised his legs. “Let’s do this.”   
  
With a soft smile, Wolf drew his knife and matched his son’s position. To his surprise, Kovac attacked first, sending a kick towards his head. The elder managed to block it and then swung his knife at his son. With his free hands, he grabbed it and turned it on his father. Before he could, Wolf threw up the leg he held, causing Kovac to flip over. He managed to land on his feet, but Wolf pursed him with his knife.

Before the young lupine could get himself ready, his dad plunged his knife right into his eye. He managed to stop it before it got to his brain, and while Wolf was so focused on going for the kill, Kovac kicked him in the balls. It made him fall to his knees and Kovac removed the knife from his eye. He flipped it in his hand and stuck it into Wolf’s chest, breaking through his sternum. With a twist, Kovac sealed the deal, but his father still breathed a bit. “D-Damn kid.” He swore. “That was… a little quicker than I thought it would be.”   
  
“You did good dad.” Kovac replied, offering a soft smile. “Got my eye. Like father like son, eh?”   
  
“C-Can I ask ya a question?”   
  
“Of course you can dad.”   
  
“Was… was that you when I lost my eye? The one who talked to James and them suddenly left?”

The lupine snickered. “Yes dad, that was me.”   
  
“Damn… why’d you save me then only to kill me now?”   
  
Both of them chuckled, causing the elder lupine great pain. He looked down at the knife in his chest and sighed. “Is there… really a place for me after you finish me off?”   
  
“There is. I’ll promise I’ll visit.”   
  
“Thanks kid. And I’m sorry for all the shit I put you through. This entire time I blamed you for your mother’s death. Well, you are now, if what you say is true, but still… I shouldn’t have blamed you.”   
  
“Well… it helped me. It taught me to be strong and I learned a lot from all the books you’d make me read.”   
  
“Smartass. Literally.”   
  
They chuckled together one last time before Wolf looked back down at the knife and looked up at his son. He nodded once right before Kovac took the knife out and inserted it into his heart. The teen watched as his dad passed away with a soft smile on his face. Gently, he placed his dad’s head onto his lap and stroked the dark gray fur softly. Even long after Wolf passed he sat there, rubbing his head with a blank expression. Eventually, the adrenaline in his body disappeared and he began to  _ really  _ feel his eye injury. “Shit, shit, shit.” He whispered, running towards his dad’s bathroom.

He ran into the room and looked at himself in the mirror. His eye was completely ruined. While the bleeding had stopped, it was still disgusting to look at and needed treatment. Thankfully, his dad kept a bottle of cleaning alcohol and gauze. It hurt like hell to put on the eye, but he had to do it. 

It would’ve all just been easier to go back in time to keep his eye, but he wanted a reminder. A reminder how far he had come in about two months and how he bested his father, despite the man getting the upper hand early in the battle. He used no underhanded time tricks, he used no weapons while Wolf used a knife. It was a fight he won with his own two hands and skill. And the wound left would be his reminder of his honor during their fight. 

Once he made sure the eye was totally cleaned and would heal properly with time, he walked out and grabbed his dad’s eyepatch. It fit perfectly over his eye and he didn’t even have to adjust the strap around his head. With it on, he looked at himself in the mirror. He really looked like Wolf now, and for the first time in his life, he didn’t mind.

Learning to live with one eye wouldn’t be easy, but he was more than willing to work through it. Tracing objects wouldn’t be as easy. Judging depth perception would take more conscious effort where it was once automatic with two eyes. Determining distance wouldn’t be easy either. Yet it didn’t bother him.

With himself patched up, he took his dad’s private elevator down to the hangar and got back into his Wolfen. But not before breaking into the security room and getting his blaster back. And with his blaster from Fox and his combat knife from Wolf, he left Sargasso. 

Now that Wolf was gone, their organization would crumble as the members within his organization would fight for power, ultimately destroying themselves in the process. With nothing to do, the smaller cells would fall as well and Lylat’s biggest organ black market would cease to exist. 

It took about two hours to fly back to his home, which he decided to buy with Marcus. While the two were still students, as thanks for doing all that they had done to truly free everyone, Bill gave them a nice apartment close to the Cornerian Flight Academy. It had three rooms, two bathrooms and even an office for the two to work. As for Kovac, he wasn’t sure yet, so he served as a househusband for Marcus. Well, not househusband, house boyfriend was more accurate. 

He landed at the Corneria City hangar and began his walk back to his apartment. It was a beautiful day, despite it being mid November, and he thought he could go for a walk after what he had been through. Plus, he wanted time to think before he got back home. So he walked the streets of the ever so busy city, pondering his next move. First thing he’d have to do is explain to Marcus why he was missing an eye and didn’t just get it back from time travelling. Then he’d need to decide what he wanted to do with himself. He had recently taken a GED test and passed it with flying colors, showing that he indeed had a high school level of education. 

Part of him wanted to continue to make sure no one else was suppressed, like the people on Venom. He had been thinking about taking a trip there, just to get in touch with his heritage and culture. With on one else in his life aside from Marcus, he needed to do it. But at the same time, he didn’t want to leave the man he loved the most alone. 

As he passed an alleyway, he heard a cry. It made him freeze. Was it him just mishearing or… No. Another cry came from the dark alley. Kovac followed the source of the loud cries. It wasn’t just one person crying, it was two. Yet it wasn’t like any cry he had heard before. 

When he found the source of it, he found only a cardboard box next to a dumpster. With a steady hand, he opened the flap and found a blanket inside. Wrapped in two more blankets, one pink and one blue, were two babies. Both were little coyotes. It made the lupine gasp. They were shivering from the cold of the alleyway. “Oh you poor things,” He whispered, picking up the box. “Come on, I’ll take you someplace warm.”   
  
He picked up his pace and began to jog back to his apartment. There, Marcus nervously waited for his boyfriend to return home. He knew exactly where the lupine had gone, even if he didn’t tell him. After kissing him passionately when he got back, he was going to tear him a new one for being so stupid. 

Eventually, the door swung open and Kovac stepped in with the box. He didn’t so much as say hello to Marcus as he rushed to the bedroom and got the babies out of the box. Quickly, he removed his shirt and pressed them against himself. Bodyheat was going to be their greatest source of heat at the moment until he got the heat pad ready. So when Marcus walked in, that was what he demanded he do. “B-Babe, your eye!” He exclaimed.

“We’ll talk about it later, get me the damn heat pad!” He replied.

While he still didn’t see the babies, Marcus nodded and grabbed the heat pad. He set it down on their bed and turned it all the way up. When it was hot, Kovac set both babies on it, unwrapping them from their blankets. They were both wearing dirty onesies that would definitely need some clearing. “Are those… babies?” The vulpine asked.

“I found them in a box in the alleyway.” He replied, putting his shirt back on. “They were going to freeze to death.”   
  
“A-Are they fine now?”   
  
“They are. So… I should probably explain myself.”   
  
Not missing a beat, Marcus slapped Kovac across the face. The lupine smiled in response to it. “I deserved that!” He agreed. 

“What the fuck happened to your eye?” Marcus demanded.

“What do you think? My dad of course!”   
  
“Oh my god…” He held his cheek. “You could’ve died.”   
  
“I was certain I wasn’t going to.”   
  
“Why don’t you go back in time and fix your eye?”   
  
“It’s a good reminder.” He held Marcus’ hands. “A reminder how far I’ve come with you by my side.”   
  
Marcus frowned. “I understand… besides, you’re somehow even more sexy like this.”

He giggled. “And sex will be all the more intimate when I take it off just for the occasion. But… we do have to let it heal.”   
  
“Really, how bad is it?” He asked casually.

Kovac lifted the eyepatch, showing the bloody, split eye that would eventually heal back together. However, it made Marcus gag a bit, whilst also somewhat breaking his heart. He looked almost too much like his father. But Wolf was a part of him, no matter how different the two were. “Did you two… talk at all?” Marcus asked.

“We did. It was relieving. He saw me as an equal and died with a smile. I’ll visit him in the Time Realm sometime, but for now, I think I need to take some time.”   
  
“I understand. And what about those two babies?”   
  
The lupine tilted his head. “What do you think? We’re going to raise them.”   
  
Marcus’ eyes widened. “W-We didn’t talk about this!”   
  
“I’m sure as hell not putting them in an orphanage where they could get abused or put into foster care.” He protested. “I understand it’ll be a lot to care for two babies, but we have a big support system. I’m sure your parents would love to look after them, and my grandparents would be more than happy to feed their great grandchildren.”   
  
The vulpine smiled. “It’s gonna be a lot of work… but you’re right, those two babies need a home. Names too.”   
  
“I have an idea.” He replied. “Abraham and Bonnie.” 

Marcus narrowed his eyebrows. “That would be good names, if we weren’t able to talk to them anymore. Seems cliche, sorry.”   
  
“Fair. What do you think?”   
  
“Well… I’d like to name the girl Sam, after my aunt.”   
  
The lupine smiled. “I like that! Then can we name the boy Tony and call him Bud? For my grandpa?”   
  
The vulpine smiled back. “That sounds perfect. Sam and Bud it is then.”

Both of them looked at their son and daughter. They would have to get some jobs to help support them and make sure they get a good education. It would be a lot of work to raise two children, especially since they both were so young. Kovac only knew what not to do, and not exactly what to do. It would be a learning experience for both of them. 

Later on, Kovac decided to join Marcus in reforming Star Fox with him, Piper and Earl. All four of them graduated from the Flight Academy and now twenty two each, they formed the elite mercenary team together. Piper and Marcus were their main pilots, while Earl was their engineer and Kovac was their medic. 

However, work didn’t come easy, especially in a galaxy where there was not a lot of organized crime left. So when they got a job offer from Bill to be high ranking members of the CSPF, they agreed. Except for Kovac. Instead, he left the team, still staying with Marcus, of course, to raise their children. Now the two live on Venom, where Marcus and his friends were getting ready to settle into their jobs. It wouldn’t be an easy job, rooting out the resistance. A member could be anyone on the streets. A regular civilian could be carrying a high powered rifle under their coat and they wouldn’t know until it was too late.

There was one thing, however, Marcus did plan on doing differently than the rest of the CSPF. He planned on treating the Venomillians with respect and integrity. And with his soon-to-be husband guiding him in how to handle the resistance, he was sure he could do it.    


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not gonna lie, these three were shorter than I expected. Like I type them out in a separate document and it's like 8-12 pages. But here it feels like nothing. 
> 
> Now, there will be another part to this story, but it'll follow a new character on Venom. It's like a WW2 resistance story kind of thing. The main character is going to be Tromperie, a sixteen year old water deer. I promise there won't be any fantasy stuff in the next one and my bigger one is on its way. There's just a lot going into it. I think it's going to be fun. Thanks for reading.

**Author's Note:**

> I am deeply sorry if this has possibly offended anyone who has gone through something Kovac has gone through. I will admit, there is not much I know about this aside from emotional neglection. I have never been physically abused as some may have. To those people, I am deeply sorry, and if you wish, I will take this down. Although, I do promise it gets a lot brighter and may lead into another story depending how this goes. 
> 
> Thanks for reading this first chapter. Stay safe and wear your damn mask!


End file.
